Beginning of an Ending
by alonelynight
Summary: "The black haired man smiled at the last bit of the mail. He misses her too. So much." Three years after leaving Japan, Naru and Lin are back. With previous feelings finally cleared and friendships blooming, what will happen to Mai and the others? A probable continuation from where the manga left off. (there will also be cases as the story goes on)
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt.

Please tell me what you think about it :) R&amp;R

* * *

Prologue

"I hate the Japanese."

Remember? That single line was the reason we became friends.

It was quite funny now that I remember it.

But I guess you changed your mind huh? After all, I'm Japanese and we're as close as friends could be.

Time surely flies. It's almost three years since you left and three years since I was dumped (I must say very harshly) by Kazuya Shibuya, AKA Narcissistic Naru-chan (by the way, is he still a narcissist?).

You were the one who pushed me into confessing saying "You might never have another chance like this again." And well, I was dumped.

Not that I'm blaming you though, at least now I've finally set aside my feelings for him. I'm actually thankful since I've gained the most precious friend I could ever have – you.

I'm writing this with a sigh you know.

Today was the anniversary of our very first lunch out. The very first time you asked me to eat lunch with you. I remembered that it felt really awkward at first (especially with the way you asked me) but then as the lunch break passed by, we were chatting happily (well I'm doing much of the chatting anyway).

"Taniyama, there was a newly opened Chinese restaurant."

That was very awkward. I don't know what to reply. Next time, please be more forward.

Well, I'm quite busy with my studies (yes, I'm studying hard) in the university so I might not be able to correspond with you that much but I'll try my best to send you quick mails from time to time.

I'm missing you so much, Kujou Lin.

With love,

Mai Taniyama.

* * *

The black haired man smiled at the last bit of the mail.

He misses her too. So much.

"Lin" another black haired man said, "we'll be late for boarding."

With a sigh, Lin quickly closed his laptop and placed it inside his bag. He then carried his bag and started catching up to the other black haired man.

"What took you so long?" the black haired man asked.

"I was just rereading a case file." Lin answered.

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Well, it was the most unforgettable case in my entire life." Lin said smiling as he remembered his first lunch date with Mai – his _friend_.

The black haired guy stopped. He was surprised with the look on Lin's face. It was the first time he saw that look; it was as if he was reminiscing a good dream.

"Naru," Lin called him, "Why are you just standing there?"

Naru, snapped back to reality and said, "Nothing. Let's go."

The two then walked together towards the boarding area of the airport.

_"__This is the final call for the flight to Japan."_


	2. Chapter 1 - Mai

Here's chapter 1!

Hope you like it :) R&amp;R

Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt

* * *

Chapter 1 – Mai

"Could you explain this part for me Yasu? I could never get how you arrived with this answer." I said sighing.

I was lucky to be able to persuade Yasuhara to teach me given that he's super busy making his thesis; he's a graduating student after all.

And now, Yasuhara and I have been studying here in the library for the past few hours.

We will have an exam on trigonometry next week and I can't seem to solve even one problem. I feel like bawling my eyes out now.

"How can you still mess up on that part Mai?" Yasu said, "You just have to use this formula and substitute the variables."

If only it was that easy.

I erased my previous solution and tried solving it again but after a few minutes of staring at my notebook, the writings began to appear alien to me.

I threw my pen on the table, giving up.

"Let's take a break Yasu, please?" I said, pouting at a seemingly irritated Yasuhara.

Sighing, Yasuhara said, "Sure, but only for a few minutes. You're wasting my precious time Mai."

"Yay! I know you love me Yasu!"

"Of course I do. But I love Takigawa-san more." Yasuhara said.

I laughed, remembering how Bou-san gets irritated when Yasu cling onto him.

Those were one of my favorite moments when we are still working in SPR. _'Oh how I miss them'_

After Naru and Lin left for England, we went on our separate ways.

Bou-san continued playing for his band.

Ayako is now working as a doctor in their hospital.

John went back to Australia for a year and returned to Japan when he was assigned to a church.

Masako has a new mystery/horror TV show with her as the host.

Yasuhara and I became studious and diligent university students (well it was mostly Yasuhara)

But even if we went on different ways, we still continue to meet and hang out. We became a big family after all.

Yasuhara was typing furiously in his laptop, probably working on his thesis, so I can't bother him with some chit chat.

With nothing to do, I decided to check my e-mails.

_'I sure do have a lot of junk mails'_

As I scroll down and went through some university-related mails, I noticed a mail from a certain someone.

Lin!

I felt my heart beat faster when I saw his name.

_'It's only been a few hours since I mailed to him and he already replied!'_

With shaking hands, although I don't really know why, I clicked on his mail.

I noticed that it was quite brief, despite my previous mail which was somewhat lengthy.

* * *

Mai,

I certainly do remember how your face looks like when I invited you out. It showed quite a lot of emotions – from a surprised look to a panicked one. (Although I don't really know why you seemed flustered that time)

I have a surprise for you; hopefully I would be able to see those mixed expressions on your face once more.

I certainly miss you too.

With sincerest regards,

Lin Kujou

* * *

I let out a small squeal and blushed furiously as I finished reading his mail.

I can't seem to contain myself, especially with those words _'I certainly miss you too'_.

"What happened Mai?" Yasuhara asked. "Did you finally realize your undying _love_ for me?"

"Huh? What? _Love_?" I stuttered. I wasn't able to get what Yasuhara was saying.

"I said did you finally realize your undying _love_ for me?" he said, emphasizing the word 'love'.

"Yes Yasu. I love you and your beautiful face." I said sarcastically.

"Finally! Now, we'll be boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Waii! Banzai!" I said mockingly and started reading the mail once more.

I remember the first time Lin sent me a mail; I literally fell off of my chair.

I'm not really using my e-mail account that much.

I once used it because I needed to confirm a link that a gaming site sent me to be able to finalize my registration, I really wasn't expecting to see Lin's name in my inbox.

_Lin Kujou – Finally here – sent 2 weeks ago_

When I read his name, I suddenly forgot how to breathe and knowing me, I clumsily fell off of my chair.

I was speechless that time. I thought Lin had forgotten everything about me.

* * *

Mai,

I have finally arrived here in England and the weather that greeted us was certainly gloomy.

I have not a clue why I wrote this mail to you, but I guess I do not wish to cut off our friendship.

I hope we continue to be able to correspond in this manner.

With sincerest regards,

Lin Kujou

* * *

It was brief but it did not fail to brighten my week.

I was miserable that time since I got my heart broken by Naru when I confessed to him before he left.

Lin, he was the one who surely got me on my feet again.

I was frustrated that I didn't see his message immediately but after reading his mail, I hurriedly replied back.

That was the beginning of our friendship after I thought it has ended.

* * *

After eight hours of studying (with time for rest longer than time for studying), I was finally going home.

It was quite dark out and as I reach the park, I saw a few lovers getting all fluffy and sweet with each other.

_'If only I have someone like that.'_

_'Arghh! No time to be bitter Mai! You still haven't perfected your trigonometry exercises'_ I mentally slapped myself.

I started walking back home again, trying to remove all the bitterness in my brain.

There's no use getting bitter over something nonexistent right?

Sighing, I arrived in my apartment.

"Mai!" someone called.

I turned around and saw my kind landlady smiling at me.

"Obaa-san! How are you?" I asked.

She was really kind to me, especially since I'm an orphan.

"It does not matter Mai! You never told me you have a handsome boyfriend!" she squealed. Yes, my old landlady sometimes acts like a teenager.

Wait, what?

"Boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend." I said confused.

"Don't deny Mai. He's waiting for you upstairs. I told him he could enter your apartment but he declined" She said sighing dreamily. "What a gentleman."

"What?!" I exclaimed. What if it's a serial killer or a rapist? Why would Obaa-san let someone inside my apartment? Now I feel like drowning myself.

"You're boyfriend was very handsome Mai," Obaa-san said while tapping my shoulders. "I completely believe that you would find a great guy, but him? A Chinese handsome businessman? You definitely found the perfect one!" Obaa-san laughed and finally left.

What?

_A Chinese handsome businessman._

I found myself running straight for the stairs and stumbling quite a few times when the realization struck me.

I kept repeating his name in my head.

I don't care if this was a dream or if Obaa-san was just mistaken or if the one waiting for me was a serial killer, I just wanted to hold on to this hope.

When I finally arrived on my floor, panting so much, I immediately saw him.

His tall frame resting on the wall with his arms folded on his chest.

"Lin!" I exclaimed out of breath.

When he heard me, he immediately straightened up.

We stared at each other for a while, with me still panting.

"_Surprise_" he said smiling tenderly at me.

I finally snapped when I heard his voice. _'Ah, it's definitely Lin.'_

I started running towards him.

I still could not believe it. If this were a dream, I wish I would never wake up.

I immediately hugged him and started crying my eyes out, repeating his name over and over again.

"Lin! Lin! Lin! You're back!"

"Yes Mai, I'm definitely back." He said hugging me tighter.

* * *

End of chapter 1

In this time, Mai and Lin are just friends... well probably best friends. We still don't know what would happen in the future right *wink* *wink*

I'll try uploading the next chapter soon :)

ps. the next chapter is prooooobably in Lin's point of view.

Thanks for reading! R&amp;R please :)


	3. Chapter 2 - Lin

R&amp;R! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt

* * *

Chapter 2 – Lin

Ah.

Hugging her like this feels like home. I just want to stay like this forever.

_'Snap out of it Lin'_, you're not acting like yourself.

Well, I lose myself control whenever she's near.

Hugging her tightly, I remembered how I immediately went here after leaving my luggage in my flat.

I cannot wait any longer to see her. _Mai._

"Why don't you come in Lin" Mai said dragging me inside her apartment.

She's still the same. Always getting me caught in her pace.

While she removes her shoes, she asked me if I wanted to eat.

"No thank you" I replied.

Mai then led me towards the living room.

I scanned her apartment and noticed that her place was still the same. It is still quite messy but comforting.

"So, how's England?" Mai asked as I sat on her sofa.

"Dreary." I replied.

"What did you do?"

"Mostly, just arranging Gene's funeral and the case about his death." I said while looking down. The memories are still fresh in my mind.

Gene was my childhood friend and I can't help but hate myself for allowing Gene to die that way.

I felt Mai move on the sofa and touch my hand.

Looking at her, I can see how sad her eyes were. _'She was also Gene's friend after all.'_

"I'm sorry" She said.

"No it's fine. Everything's done and we came back here to continue SPR."

"Really?" She perked up.

Smiling, I said, "Naru has probably taken a liking towards you all."

_'That's the same for me. Especially towards you.'_

"Naru? Really?" She laughed. "Well let's just see about that."

"How's university Mai?" I asked.

She said in her latest mail that's she is quite busy, I guess she's trying her best now.

"Stressful!" she said exasperatedly. "I never had a good night sleep anymore or even have time to cook for myself."

"Don't push yourself too hard Mai. You might get sick." Now, I'm getting worried. _Has she not been living healthily?_

"Yes father!" She said mockingly.

"Anyways," Mai started, "summer vacation is coming up so I just need a little push before I can finally be free for a while."

"Do you have any plans for your vacation?"

"Well, previously I do but," she paused. "Now that you and Naru are back and probably SPR will too, I guess my plans are all gone now."

"Would you want to return to SPR?" I asked.

"Of course!"

_Why would she want to go back? Why would a teenage girl want to continue dealing with ghost, demons, and all those things when she can be a normal teenage girl?_

"You must probably think why?" Mai said looking down. "I guess you all became my family and I don't want to be apart from my family anymore."

With that vulnerable smile on her face, I just wanted to hug her tight and never let her go.

Giving in to my instincts, I started approaching her, wanting to envelop her in my arms.

_Ring!_

I heard my phone ringing inside my pocket.

_Should I take my phone or Mai?_

"Lin? Your phone is ringing." Mai said snapping me back to reality.

"Ah! Yes." I said dumbfounded. _Am I really going to take advantage of her just now?_

Clicking the answer button, I said "Hello?"

_"Lin? This is Naru."_ I heard Naru say from the other line.

I signed to Mai that I'm going outside for a bit, she nodded in reply.

I don't really want to leave her right now but this darn narcissistic has ever the worst timing.

"What is it Naru?" I said after closing the door of Mai's apartment.

_"I just received a mail from the SPR England and they wanted to forward us a case."_ He said sounding grim.

"Is it here in Japan?"

_"Yes. A private school here and it has quite an ugly situation."_

"Is it a bad case?" I asked. Bad cases are those with many casualties.

_"No. It's not really serious but there's an internal problem in the school and we seem to be the one to clean things up."_ Naru hated cleaning after all.

"Ok. What would you want me to do?"

_"Call all the previous members of SPR and tell them to come tomorrow for the briefing." _

"That's too soon Naru. They are all probably busy right now"

_"We won't go to the school until summer vacation, that's one of the conditions of the headmaster. It's just, there's too many holes with their story that we need to patch first before coming there."_

What kind of case is this?

_"Anyway,"_ Naru started_, "we still have two weeks before coming to the site but we need to brief the members as early as possible. There's politics involved after all."_

Politics? Then why would Naru accept the case?

"Na-" I started but the call was cut off.

_Annoying, narcissistic brat._

Sighing I entered Mai's apartment again and head towards the living room.

I notice her sleeping peacefully on the sofa with her head lolling on the head rest. It's quite a funny sight especially with her mouth hanging open.

_'That must be uncomfortable.' _

Without waking her up, I carried her and started going to her bedroom.

_'She's as light as a feather. Is she eating right?'_

As I lay her down the bed, I notice her eyes.

_'Her eyelashes are rather long.'_

_'She has quite a pair of beautiful eyes.'_

_'If only, those eyes were to look at me.'_

_'I would be the happiest.'_

I never thought I would feel this ways towards this young lass especially with our 10 year age gap but I guess you would never know what would happen in your life.

And in mine? I never expected for her to enter it and leave me wrapped around her finger.

Chuckling, I kissed her forehead.

_'Mai, I was very glad when you said you've finally moved on from Naru, but you know, I think you haven't.'_

Closing her bedroom door, I heard her voice softly saying,

_"Naru"_

* * *

End of Chapter 2

Lin's POV done yay! the case would probably start on chapter 4 :)

Hope you liked it! R&amp;R


	4. Chapter 3 - Mai

Here's chapter 3! Hope you like it!

R&amp;R so i'll know what you think :)

* * *

Chapter 3 – Mai

'_Ring!'_

'_Is it morning already?'_ I really hate waking up in the morning.

Struggling to get up, I reached out to my bedside table to turn off my alarm clock.

It's only seven o'clock in the morning and it is Saturday, I really don't think I have anything to do for today.

Then, I remembered having an annoying dream last night.

_Lin and I were walking down the seashore holding hands with the sun setting and all the other cliché stuff, when we stop midway and Lin started to lean towards me. _

'He's going to kiss me!'_ That's what I thought in my dream, when suddenly I heard a voice saying _'Mai! Tea!'

'_Naru is still annoying even in my dream.'_

'_Wait? Why am I dreaming about Lin? And in my dream we almost-!'_

"Argghh!" I shouted. _'Do I have feelings for Lin?'_

"Mai!" someone shouted from my bedroom door after banging it open.

'_Lin! I forgot that he's still here.'_

"Is there something wrong? I just heard you shouting." Lin asked worriedly.

"N-no." I started, "It's just my morning tradition."

I know Lin didn't believe that but I wish he would just let it slide. I can't look him properly in the face after all. My dream is still fresh from my mind.

"Anyway," Lin said leaving the room, "I've prepared breakfast, you should eat now."

After Lin left and closed the door, I smacked my face on my pillow and started shouting in frustration.

'_Why would I have that kind of dream? It's Lin for god's sake!'_

'_Does this mean I like him?'_

'_No no! I just probably missed him too much.'_ Shaking my head, I finally settled on this conclusion.

After preparing myself for breakfast and for the rest of the day, I finally went to the kitchen.

Even from the living room, I could smell the intoxicating bacon Lin had probably dug up from my freezer.

I haven't had home cooked breakfast for a while now, I'm excited.

"Good morning Lin! That smells yummy!" I said after entering the kitchen.

"Thank you." Lin said, "Coffee or Tea?"

"Coffee please! I need caffeine."

Lin then began preparing my coffee. He's wearing a new set of clothes and an apron.

'_That apron looks cute on him'_ I chuckled. The apron was pure white with frills along the hem. He looks so out of place with his suit and apron.

"Here." Lin said, placing the cup in front of me.

"Thank you."

On the table, there are scrambled eggs, bacon, and some toasted bread. _'Yum!'_

After removing his apron, Lin then sat on the dining table, joining me.

"Where did you sleep Lin?" I asked.

"On the sofa."

"That's probably uncomfortable. You should have woken me up so that I could prepare a futon for you." I said, concerned. He's probably tired from his flight and he had to sleep on a couch.

"No it's fine. I couldn't sleep at all because of the time difference." He explained.

"Is that so, but then we could have used that time to catch up." I said, pouting.

"Mai," Lin smiled, "We still have a lot of time to catch up, no need to hurry."

'_Ba-dump'_ I heard my heart skip a beat. _'Why Lin! Why must your smile be that handsome! That's bad for my heart!'_

"E-eh? Yeah, that's right." I mumbled feeling flustered by Lin's smile.

"Mai." Lin called.

"Ye-yes!" I stammered. I tried drinking my coffee to hide my embarrassment. _'Oh damn, why now?'_

"We have to go to Shibuya by eight for a meeting with the rest of the SPR members." Lin said while placing a piece of bacon in his mouth.

'_How I wish I'm a bacon'_

I choked from my coffee. "What?!" I shouted, surprised. "Isn't that too soon? You just came back."

"Naru just received a case from the main branch and we'll have a briefing today."

"Is that so? Have you informed the previous members?" I asked. _'I'm going to meet them again! How exciting!'_

"Yes. We'll also confirm today who will be able to accompany us for this case."

"I wish everyone could come."

"I guess everyone can, but Hara-san probably wouldn't be able to."

"Ah! She has that TV show right?"

"Yes. But her presence would be a great asset for this case." He said sighing.

"How so? Is the client a famous person?"

"You could put it that way. Our client is a politician's wife but our direct contact is the headmaster of the Sacred Heart Private Academy."

"Really? That super prestigious school? I heard you can't enter that school unless you are a genius." It was a popular school among the high school students since if you attend that school, you'll have a 100% chance of passing for Tokyo University.

"Well I guess so." Lin said sighing.

'_Huh? Is it that bad?'_

"When will we go to the site? I can't probably accompany you 'till after two weeks." I asked. It's our finals exam after all.

"Luckily, we'll go after two weeks. The headmaster wanted us to go there during summer vacation."

"Then I can go!" I said animatedly.

Remembering something I heard from when I was in high school I said, "But that Sacred Heart is famous for its tragic student-teacher love story."

"What?" Lin asked curiously.

I never pegged Lin to be interested in a love story. I chuckled in my mind.

Then a loud shrill resounded through the room. It's probably Lin's cell phone. I don't have that kind of ringtone.

"Excuse me." Lin said as he stood up.

I just smiled at him and he left.

I feel really excited about this case; it's been so long since I last felt this way.

'_Especially since Lin is there.' _

Wait! No!

'_It's all because of the adrenaline I feel during the cases. Yes! That's it!'_

Feeling all flustered again, I just stuffed my face with some bacon and eggs.

Munching with my mouth full, Lin came back.

I almost choked when he entered. _'Why did he have to see me pigging myself out?'_

Lin chuckled, probably because of my face.

"That was Naru." He said, still chuckling. "He's expecting us in 30 minutes."

After that, Lin left still chuckling.

'_Arghh! Why must Lin saw me this way?!'_

Pulling out my own hair out of annoyance, mostly to myself, I began to clean up the plates.

* * *

End of Chapter 3!

According to my chapter outline, the briefing is included in chapter 3 but then if I added the briefing in this chapter, it would be too long, so expect the start of the case next chapter! :D

I would probably update the story every mondays since you know, uni is such a pain in the ass :( [I have alot of papers due I wanna cry now. ]

Anyways, thanks for reading! R&amp;R please :D


	5. Chapter 4 - Mai

Hi! I know this is earlier that what I've said but... here's chapter 4!

I apologize for any mistake (in grammar or spelling) that I overlooked :) please tell me if there's any.. thank you!

Hope you like it :) R&amp;R

* * *

Chapter 4 – Mai

Arriving at the SPR office was like a roller coaster at the brink of falling into a loop.

I'm scared but at the same time excited.

The car ride was great. There's mostly silence but it was a comfortable one and Lin would sometimes start a conversation like 'Have you started studying for your exams?' or 'Is there any subject you're having a hard time with?'

Yeah. It's all university related topics, but I guess Lin is trying his hardest.

I stepped out of the car and proceeded to the stairs leading to the office.

Lin, as gentleman as ever, opened the door of the office for me.

We probably arrived earlier than expected since John was the only one in the lobby, and probably Naru, who's hiding in his office.

"John!" I shouted and ran straight towards him. I hugged him tight, saying how much I missed him.

"I miss you too Mai-san." John said, smiling.

'_He's still as cute as ever! He really does not look like a priest.'_

"Where's everyone Brown-san?" asked Lin.

"Takigawa-san and Yasuhara-san said that they are almost here."

"Really? How about Masako? Is she coming?" I asked.

"I don't really know but I think she's quite busy nowadays especially with her new TV show." John said.

Although Masako and I really don't get along very well, I'm still quite dejected to know that she won't be coming.

The door chime suddenly echoed through the room, signaling that someone just entered the office.

"Jou-chan!" I heard someone shouted.

It was Bou-san!

"Bou-san! I miss you!" I cried, running straight to his arms.

Bou-san has become my second father here in SPR, but that's a secret. He'll get angry at me for sure, saying that he's just old enough to be my brother.

"You've become prettier Jou-chan!" Bou-san exclaimed.

"What are you talking about Bou-san! We just met few months ago. How could I change that much?" I said laughing.

I did change though. My hair is longer than before, just falling just in the middle of my back but other than that? Nothing.

Well I've lost my baby-fat, there's that.

"Stop that Takigawa-san! I'm getting jealous over here!" I heard Yasuhara say from the entrance of the lobby.

"Yasu! You came!" I exclaimed.

"Of course!" Yasu said, "How could I miss the chance to see my girlfriend?" He then winked at me.

There was an awkward silence after Yasuhara said that. I immediately looked at Lin to see if he ever heard what Yasuhara said.

Lin's face was still as inexpressive as ever. I thought he might be, even at the slightest, surprised or be affected by it since we're friends and friends are supposed to care for each other. Well, forgetting the fact that what Yasuhara just said was rubbish.

'_I guess he does not really care.'_

It was Bou-san who broke the silence.

"Young boy. You're just pulling our leg are you?" Bou-san said, staring straight at Yasuhara.

"Of course Takigawa-san. You know you're the one I love."

"You're an idiot Yasuhara!"

Bou-san and Yasuhara began their regular banter. It was quite funny how Yasuhara constantly teases Bou-san. This banter of them feels like a regular occurrence and without it, SPR wouldn't really feel like SPR.

"Please step out of the office if you're only going to have your chit-chat." Naru said after finally leaving his office.

As usual, Naru is still Naru. He's still wearing all black, from head to toe, even his face is black (I mean, it is as usual dark, without any humor or a single trace of a smile). I thought he might probably add some color to his clothes after finding Gene, but well, I guess old habits die hard.

"Naru!" I greeted. "You haven't change!"

"I guess that's the same for you." Naru smirked. "You're still a loud-mouthed idiot."

'_Yeah, that's Naru. Still as irritating as ever.'_

"And you're still as stuck-up as ever aren't you Naru-chan?" Bou-san said, ruffling Naru's head in a friendly manner.

After finding out that Naru is his idol, Bou-san was very surprised and had a hard time approaching Naru or Oliver Davis, but I guess Bou-san has finally accepted the truth that his idol was actually this idiot scientist.

"Stop that Takigawa-san." Naru said probably annoyed as hell.

"Good morning!" Someone said from the door.

It was Ayako.

The red-head priestess that had became my mother figure (or sister figure as she had said) smiled at everyone and started approaching me with obvious delight.

"Ayako! I miss you!" I exclaimed.

"I miss you too Mai!" She replied hugging me.

"Now that we're complete, let's start." Naru said, interfering to our long-awaited reunion. _'He's still the workaholic boss who does not give anyone even a minute of rest.'_

As I start to sit on the couch, Naru said, "Mai, tea."

'_Ah. Yes. I'm this person's personal tea-maker after all.'_

"Yes Yes." I said and left for the kitchen.

Honestly, I missed this kitchen where I mostly stayed (Naru asks for tea almost every hour after all) and even though three years has past, I still remember where everything was placed. It felt as if every inch of this tiny kitchen was engraved to my head.

As I prepare tea for everyone, I can hear Naru explain that what will happen today is just a mere briefing and that the main investigation will start after two weeks.

After pouring the tea for everyone, I placed the cups on the tray and proceeded to the lobby.

"Thank you Mai." Ayako said after I served them the tea.

As usual, Naru was the only one who didn't thank me.

When I served Lin his tea, he smiled at me and said, "Thank you Mai."

I blushed profusely at that. _'Why must Lin always make my heart flutter at every turn?!'_

After serving the tea, I sat down on the couch, still blushing.

'_Shit. Lin is just so unfair.'_

"We'll start the briefing now." Naru said and wasted no time stating the facts about the case.

"The location of the case is at the Sacred Heart Private Academy." Naru started and everyone has the same expression as me after I heard about the location from Lin - surprised.

"The case was forwarded to me from the SPR main branch."

"They wanted us to investigate about the lake where six students had fell victim to. Among the six students, only two survived. The one who survived was the son of a politician, whose name must remain anonymous as per what the file said, and even though the case was already investigated by the police, the mother of the victim wanted to further the investigation, thus this is where we came in."

"The first two victims was a couple who fell into the lake 10 years ago. The second pair fell into the lake just four years ago but the boy luckily survived. Last year, another pair became the victim and the boy from here was the son of the politician. The boy survived, luckily, but he had probably hit his head hard on the stones since after the incident he's been saying 'It's here! It's here!' repeatedly. He also said that someone from the lake had dragged her girlfriend into it."

"The mother of the boy believes that what the police say is not sufficient and that she wanted to look at the case from all sides of the coin and hired us."

Sighing, Naru continued. "I don't really want to accept the case since the politician's wife was threatening the administration of withdrawing her donations to the school if they didn't hire a paranormal investigator but then, the headmaster of the school is connected to someone from the main branch and this is where we ended up. I don't really want to be involved in a political issue."

"What do the police say about the latest incident?" Bou-san asked.

"They concluded that what happened is an incident since they found only two pairs of footprints and that the marks found at the side of the lake were marks of someone sliding or slipping towards the lake. They said that someone couldn't possibly drag the girl into the lake because the soil around the lake was soft enough for anyone to easily leave a print and that since they only found two pairs, there would be no other suspect except the boy, but right now, he's broke in the head so he's out of the suspect list."

"The boy was insinuating that there's an entity that dragged her girlfriend and that's the reason the mother wants us there. What a loving mother! She truly believes in her insane son." Ayako said.

"We couldn't possibly cross out that the boy was just insane and that it's purely an incident since this was the third case of a couple falling into the lake." Naru said.

"Naru," Lin said. "Mai was saying something earlier about a tragic story that's famous around the school."

I gasped, surprised that Lin opened that topic or that he even remembered our conversation earlier this morning.

'_Lin! Why did you have to open it up! Naru would just insult my brain if I tell the story.'_

"What is it Mai?" asked Naru.

"We-well," I started "They said that there was a girl who was constantly bullied since her mother committed suicide. Although she was constantly bullied, she would always wear that innocent smile on her face and would act strong."

I took a deep breath, recalling what my friends from high school said about this tragic love story. I remember that it was quite silly and that it's quite similar to Romeo and Juliet.

"Then a male teacher took notice of her and fell in love with the strong innocent girl. He approached her and helped her overcome the bullying. The girl fell in love with the male teacher as well. They thought everything was perfect but gossips about their relationship started to spread around the school. The headmaster heard about it and immediately fired the male teacher and asked them to break their relationship. Unable to accept this, they both decided to jump into the lake and die together."

"That's the end of it." I said after I finished relaying the story.

"Is it bogus Lin?" asked Naru.

'_Arghh! This annoying man. He made me tell the whole story and then asked Lin if it was bogus!'_

Lin started typing god knows what into his laptop and paused to read something. The little crease between his eyebrows when he read is so cute that I can't help but be hypnotized by it.

I snapped back to reality when I heard Lin speak.

"According to a newspaper 20 years ago, there was a couple, a student and a teacher, who jumped into the lake together. They left a suicide note saying that they wanted to preserve their love forever." Lin said, reading an article from his laptop.

"What? That's creepy!" Ayako exclaimed.

"You didn't know about that? I thought you'd be old enough to know that?" Bou-san teased Ayako.

Ayako glared at him and said, "I don't waste my time on those petty things."

"So," Naru interrupted "How was it connected to the case?"

"Well, they created a tradition that if you and your lover kiss in front of the lake at night during full moon, your love will last forever. That's probably why they were there at night." I explained.

Naru placed his hand under his chin, probably thinking about the tradition.

"So, is there any more?" Naru asked.

Yasuhara raised his hand.

I chuckled, Yasuhara acts as if we're in a classroom.

"I came across to this thread in the internet about the Sacred Heart Painting. In the thread, they were talking about a white lady who would sing at night in front of the painting that can be found at the end of the hall in the third floor. They say that she's pretty harmless because she's only protecting her and her lover's 'house' which was the house painted on the painting. She does not really do anything except sing and dance in front of the painting." Yasuhara explained.

Naru just nodded his head and proceed to put on his thinking pose. _'I guess if I was the old Mai, I would be drooling all over the carpet right now.'_

"Is that all?" Naru asked.

No one replied.

"I guess that's all. Lin and I will start the background investigation tomorrow but we'll start the main investigation on site in two weeks. Lin will mail you about it." Naru said and stood up to go to his office.

'_Won't he even spare a minute catching up with the rest of us?'_

"I guess that's it. Naru seems pretty reluctant at first in accepting the case but he probably changed his mind after hearing your stories." Bou-san said while stretching his arms.

"Probably. Although the case is already interesting from the start." John said.

"I want to sleep already. Let's go." Yasuhara said.

I saw Lin approach me from my peripheral vision.

"Do you want me to send you home Mai?" Lin asked.

"No need Lin! Naru is going to ask you to do a lot of things and you need rest. I can go home by myself." I said, smiling.

"Are you sure?" Lin asked.

"Yup"

I bid Lin goodbye and followed the others outside.

"What was that Mai?" Ayako asked "What just happened between you and Lin? Did he really just offer to take you home?"

"E-eh?" I stammered in surprise. "Nothing's going on. Lin is just being accommodating and you know we're just friends." I explained.

"Is that so?" Yasuhara asked, not believing in my explanation.

"Yup"

"But you know," He added "A man would not put an effort to a girl he doesn't love."

With that, I blushed profusely.

* * *

End of Chapter 4

I said last time that I would be updating every monday, but I've changed my mind :) I'll update every saturday or sunday! Yay!

Just to be clear... Mai does not like Lin that way, or she likes him but is oblivious to her feelings.. either way we'll know :D

Please R&amp;R! Thank you!


	6. Chapter 5 - Lin

Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt (but if only I could have Lin 3)

Hi everyone! Here's chapter 5 with Lin's pov :)

Lin would probably seem OOC. I love Lin because he's really quiet and stoic and you don't know what he's thinking. The Lin I made is the silent but romantic inside. (/ kyaaa!)

I hope you like it! Please do tell if there's any mistake I've overlooked. Thank you!

* * *

Chapter 5 – Lin

I sighed as the other SPR members left.

I was pretty tired especially since I just got here in Japan and we already have a new case. I'm quite sure things will start to get busy again.

I remembered when Yasuhara-san insinuated that he and Mai are in a relationship. I was surprised when I heard it and felt quite betrayed that Mai didn't share that information.

But mostly, I was jealous. Yes, I was jealous because a girl almost ten years younger than me, a girl I have feelings with, has a boyfriend.

I didn't know when I fell in love with Mai. I just realized my feelings for her when I was already in England, conversing with her through mails. I didn't know it was possible to fall in love with someone ten years younger than me but as soon as I realized my feelings, there was no doubt that I love her.

But, I know I would never act on my feelings. I would just stay being her friend and be at the sidelines, our circumstances wouldn't allow anything more than that.

* * *

The past two weeks was not that eventful.

Naru and I gathered information about the victims and the police reports regarding the case. All the police investigation conducted on the cases had the same conclusion, it was an accident.

The investigation says that the water level of the lake is quite high as it is and soars during full moon. Also, according to the report, the accident happened after a downpour making the land surrounding the lake slippery.

But, there's another similarity between the accidents, the date. All three accidents happened on the 29th of April. I think this little information would be vital in the future investigation.

We have also investigated the tragic story of Sacred Heart but there's not that much information that can be found about it.

The only information we gathered about the story is that the female, named Rosette Aoi has a clean record in the school and the only problem surrounding her was the fact that she was bullied because of her mother's death.

The teacher, Seno Ichikawa, was well loved by the students and his colleagues and but was quite known for being short-tempered.

Other than these? None.

We asked the school for the police report about the story but they were not able to give any report.

Luckily, there was one student of Sacred Heart that time, who was now a teacher of that school, when the accident happened. I sent the school an e-mail asking the said teacher to retell the story from what she has seen twenty years ago but her story was not that different from the story being told right now. She was the one who gave us the information about Rosette Aoi and Seno Ichikawa.

With no further leads, I've asked Yasuhara-san to search for the police records from twenty years ago and anything that might have been related to it. It would be quite hard but this story can help us solve the case.

Further investigation would happen on site. We will have a physical access on the school archives and reports when we arrive on site since these reports can only be found in the archive section of the school's library.

In the end, these past two weeks was not quite fruitful and that in turn made Naru as irritable as ever. He wanted to finish the case as soon as possible.

Probably, the same goes for me.

I was not able to talk to Mai for the whole two weeks since it is her finals exam and she had been busy studying. The last time I talked to her was on phone with me wishing her good luck. I also told her that I would be picking her up after her exam week and treat her to dinner as a reward for her week-long hardship.

To say that she was excited was an understatement. She squealed the moment I offered to take her to dinner. I smiled at the memory._ 'I would treat her as much as she want if that's what makes her happy.'_

Right now, two weeks later, I am driving towards Mai's university.

When I arrived at the university gates, I immediately saw her standing by the walls of the university façade talking to a guy. The guy was a little taller than Mai and has a striking brown hair.

I parked my car at the parking space in front of the university. Dusting my suit off, I climbed out of the car and went to where Mai and the guy was.

They seem to enjoy talking to one another since Mai was not able to notice me when I approached them.

"Mai." I greeted. Both heads turned towards me as soon as they heard my voice.

"Lin!" Mai exclaimed. She immediately touched my arm and introduced me to the guy she was previously talking to.

"Junpei-kun, meet Lin, my colleague at the SPR." She said.

I stretched out my hand to shake his and said, "Lin Kujou, nice to meet you."

"Junpei, Mai's friend from the Parapsychology Organization." He said as he shook my hands.

"Junpei-kun is actually the president of the Para Org." Mai said.

'_So he's the guy Mai was talking about from her mail.'_ Mai once said that there's someone who's very knowledgeable about Parapsychology and probably as knowledgeable as Naru and that he became their president, but I told her that I doubt someone is as knowledgeable as Naru when it comes to Parapsychology.

"Lin-san, can I ask why did you choose to work as a ghost hunter?" Junpei said. He looked quite interested for my answer.

Answering honestly, I said, "I have been introduced to this kind of profession since I was young. How about you?"

Junpei nodded at my answer.

"For me, I just want to find the answers to the unanswerable things." He said. Junpei's answer was quite vague but I know the feeling of wanting to explain something unexplainable.

"Ah!" Junpei exclaimed when he saw his watch.

"I'm sorry Mai-chan and Lin-san, I'll be late for the presidents' meeting. I have to go now. Anyways, thank you! Bye!" He said in one breathe and immediately ran towards the buildings.

When Junpei was finally out of our view, I asked Mai, "Shall we go?"

"Yes! I'm so excited for this day." She squealed in excitement as she bounces on her feet while walking towards my car.

* * *

Dinner was truly enjoyable.

I brought Mai to an Italian restaurant because she says that she craves for something different.

Throughout the whole dinner, Mai and I were talking comfortably about anything and everything except the case. We both know we'll have quite full of it on Monday when the investigation starts.

Being with Mai and just talking to her is everything for me. At the end of the dinner, I was quite reluctant to end this bliss and send her back home, but in the end, I had to.

Driving back to Mai's apartment, there was a comfortable silence between us. _'I guess she's already tired.'_

"Lin, thank you so much for treating me. I had all the fun I needed." Mai said when I stopped in front of her apartment.

"You're welcome. We should do it again next time." I replied.

'_Really we should. If only we could do this every day.'_

"Sure"

After Mai spoke, there was an awkward silence between the two of us. No one moved nor spoke.

After a few minutes of silence, I looked at her. She was staring outside with the moonlight glistening on her face, making her features sharper and more beautiful. There was nothing more I wanted to do than kiss her now.

"Goodbye Lin!" Mai said. I snapped back to reality when I heard her voice. _'Really, what am I thinking?'_

"I should at least walk you to the door." I said trying to prolong the time we're together.

"No it's fine. I can go by myself. You should go and get some rest." Mai said and opened the car door.

I was quite reluctant to let her go especially when I saw her back turned and climbing out of the car.

"Lin!" Mai exclaimed.

"Ye-" I was cut off when I felt her lips touch my cheeks. I was so surprised that I forgot to move.

It was brief but when her lips touched my cheeks, the time stopped. I can feel my eyes widen and my heart skip a beat during that moment.

"Bye!" Mai said and finally closed the passenger door. She ran towards her apartment.

I still couldn't move, even when she was already gone from my sight and into her apartment building.

I can still feel her lips on my cheeks and the tingles it left.

I never expected Mai to kiss me. It felt like I was dreaming.

* * *

It was already Monday, the first day of our investigation.

We are supposed to meet here at SPR and go to the Sacred Heart together. Everyone was present except for Matsuzaki-san who informed us that she would be a bit late since she's turning over something from the hospital and Yasuhara-san who's investigating here in Tokyo and will follow us on Friday.

Mai was also here but we haven't talk since she arrived. Actually, we haven't talk since the dinner.

I just wanted to approach her and converse with her like we use to.

I still cannot forget that moment when she kissed me. That second when it felt like the world stopped.

When Matsuzaki-san arrived, apologizing for being late, Naru told Mai to join us in the van with the equipments.

I saw Mai's eyes widen with shock. She probably wouldn't want to be in a closed space with Naru and me.

Mai protested saying that the van was crowded enough because of the equipments and she can just ride with Matsuzaki-san and the others.

"Stop being an idiot and enter the van." Naru said gaining the last laugh.

* * *

End of Chapter 5

That's it! Finally! Mai made the move :D what do you think made Mai kiss Lin? it'll be on the next chapter with Mai's pov :D

Next chapter will be the investigation on site :) If you have any questions about the case or if there's something bothering you about it.. just ask! :))

Thank you! R&amp;R please :)


	7. Chapter 6 - Mai

Hi guys! Here's chapter 6 :)

I'm sorry for the slow once a week update :( After my final exams, I promise to update as frequently as I can :D yay!

Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt

* * *

Chapter 6 – Mai

To say that the car ride felt awkward is an understatement.

No one spoke the entire time and I felt like I'm going to burst from the silence I've been hearing.

I wanted to distract myself since my train of thought kept going to what happened last time. That moment when it felt like I was possessed by a horny teenage ghost that can't keep her mouth to herself.

'_I kissed Lin.' _

For heaven's sake, I kissed Lin, my best friend, on his cheek.

Up until now, I can't keep myself from blushing whenever I remember it.

That time, I thought that if I didn't kiss him, I would surely regret it. After a few minutes of internal debate, everything became a blur and suddenly, I was leaning towards Lin with my lips pressed against his cheek.

I couldn't hear anything except my heart pounding hard against my chest.

I wish I could brush it off like it was just a friendly kiss and that it meant nothing. I don't want that moment to make Lin feel uncomfortable around me and ruin our years of friendship

Trying to distract myself, or I'm just a masochist who wanted to get brushed off by the most narcissistic guy the in world, I broke the silence by talking to Naru.

"Naru, what's your favorite movie?"

'_Oh shit. Did I just ask that?' _He'll probably insult me by saying movies are for the idiotic people.

"I don't watch movies. They are for stupid people. Try reading books and your IQ might increase." Naru said without even glancing away from his black notebook.

'_Told you so.'_

"Yes yes." I said nonchalantly. I will just resign myself to the maddening silence.

When I'm sure that Naru is not looking my way, I stick my tongue out to him and made face mimicking a monkey.

While I was making face, I saw Lin from the rearview mirror trying to keep himself from laughing. His face was flushed red, probably because he's having a hard time containing his laughter.

I smiled at the thought of making Lin laugh. Making Lin smile is hard enough and making him laugh is a damn miracle.

When I saw Lin glance my way from the rearview mirror, I stuck my tongue at him. He smiled in return and as if it was a magic, the awkwardness I felt before towards Lin was now gone.

I guess he does not really think about the kiss that much. Lin must've been used to it.

I should probably not dwell on it that much as well.

'_Should I feel happy or sad about it?'_

* * *

Finally, after what felt like decades, we arrived at the Sacred Heart Private Academy.

The moment I stepped out from the van, it felt like I was transported to another country. Sacred heart was not a super prestigious school for nothing. It was a damn castle.

The school looks like a European castle during the Gothic ages with its pointed towers and lonely grayish colors. It looks pretty damn beautiful.

I was just standing there outside the van with my mouth hanging open and taking in the view.

'_Am I still in Japan?'_

"Oi. Stop looking like an idiot and follow me." I heard Naru say in front of me.

Snapping back to reality, I followed him still entranced by the view of the school.

We entered the castle-like school and the interior was way better than the outside.

It has high ceilings with elegant paintings lined up on the walls. At the center of it all was a huge staircase that looks like it came out straight from a fairytale. Taking up almost half of the wall, a painting of a woman, probably the founder of the school, is placed right at the center of the staircase making it the center of attention.

I can feel my mouth hang open again. I would trade anything to go to a school like this.

Naru started walking towards the east wing of the ground floor until we arrive at the start of a long hallway. The dim lighting and the gloomy color of the walls made the hallway looked like a maze in a horror movie. It felt like a ghost would pass by you as you walk through it.

The lobby with the grand staircase felt out of place with this scary corridor.

After what seemed like hours of walking through identical creepy corridors, we finally arrived at the headmaster's office.

"Thank you for coming SPR team." The headmaster said greeting us.

The headmaster was a middle-aged man that looks intimidating and has a commanding aura around him.

He discussed briefly to us the case and along the discussion, he opened the topic about the politician's wife.

"She's a huge asset for us and has connections everywhere. She wouldn't let go until we contacted someone related to paranormal investigation and after a year of constant threatening and annoying persuasion, we finally asked for your service." The headmaster said.

He said that the politician himself apologized for his wife's behavior and asked them to just comply with her wishes. It seems like the wife wanted to prove that her son is not insane.

I dozed off after a few minutes, getting bored. It seemed like everyone else was except for Naru and Lin who always wear their blank expression.

Finally, the discussion ended. I wanted to yawn or stretch my arms so much but I don't want Naru to scold me for dozing off during the discussion.

"The room you've asked for as your base can be found on the second floor room 205, the second meeting room. Your sleeping quarters is on the fourth floor, it is where some of the faculty members sleep when they stay late so it is well provided with. There are two separate rooms with five beds each and you can use both rooms." The headmaster explained.

As soon as the headmaster finished talking, we were immediately led to the base.

* * *

"Finally! That's the last of them!" I exclaimed feeling tired as hell when I arrived at the entrance of the base for the nth time.

I climbed the staircase from the ground floor up to the second floor for almost ten times while carrying heavy equipment. Right now, I feel like my arms are going to fall off from carrying all those equipment.

Right after we arrived on the base and before I can sit on the sofa available to rest for a bit, Naru immediately told me to carry all the equipment from the van. Luckily, Lin, John, and Bou-san were there to help me.

"Thank you Mai. I'm sorry for making you carry all those equipment." Lin said after I placed the last monitor on the table along with the other monitors.

I smiled at him and said, "It's fine don't worry. At least you helped me, unlike that guy who didn't even carry a single equipment." I glared at Naru when I said the last bit.

Naru probably heard me since he looked my way. I stuck my tongue out at him and he just rolled his eyes.

"Mai, stop chatting and make tea." Naru said glancing back to his black notebook.

I looked at him exasperatedly and without a word, complied.

There was a small table at the corner of the room with electric water kettle and a can full of tea bags that I brought. I know that Naru would always ask for tea that's why I brought tons of them.

"Bou-san, John, Ayako, Lin," I called, "would you like some tea?"

They all said yes and I started preparing tea for everyone including myself.

After I finished making the tea, I served it to the others, bringing the last cup with me and situating myself between John and Bou-san while Ayako is seated on the smaller sofa.

"After you've rested, place all the cameras and microphones on these sites." Naru said while giving us a piece of paper with the school's blueprint on it. There are X marks all over and I guess that's where we'll place the microphones and cameras.

"Takigawa-san will do the ground floor, John, you're on the second floor, Lin would do the fourth floor, and Matsuzaki-san and Mai will do the third floor." Naru instructed.

Naru will stay here and make sure we place the cameras correctly.

That's the normal task distribution three years ago and it's as if those three years in between didn't happen at all. I smiled at the thought and silently sip on my hot tea.

After a few minutes of resting, we went and started doing our tasks.

Ayako and I went to the third floor starting from the east wing. We'll place five cameras and microphones on the third floor with one centered on the rumored painting on the west wing at the end of the hallway.

As we place the cameras and microphones on the third floor and making sure from Naru that we place it properly, Ayako suddenly asked me a surprising question.

"What's with you and Lin? I could feel some chemistry going on between the two of you."

I looked incredulously at her.

"What? Me and Lin? Nothing. We're just close friends." I said.

"Are you for real? Is there really nothing? Any instances that can lead to romance?"

"Really there's no-" I stopped when I remembered what I did when we went out for dinner. I blushed profusely at the thought.

"See! You're blushing Mai! It means there's something. Won't you share it?" Ayako pleaded with puppy dog eyes. It was certainly out of character for Ayako and I can't help but laugh at her for trying the puppy look at me.

"Hey! Why are you laughing?" She exclaimed.

"Nothing." I said trying my best to stop laughing.

"Augh. Mai! Stop with the secrecy and creepy laughing and spill the beans!"

I just laughed louder, in a quite strained way, and now, it was more on trying to stray the conversation away from me until we finish the task. I just hope I could stall enough for Ayako to forget her question.

When we arrived at the end of the hallway on the west wing, with me still laughing and Ayako probably annoyed, we immediately set up the camera and microphone. I asked Naru from the microphone if the view is fine and if he can see the whole painting, he said yes and told us to return to the base.

I turned around to face the painting. I wanted to see for myself the rumored art.

"It's beautiful." I heard Ayako say beside me.

It really is beautiful. The subject was a white simple house near the beach. The colors were soft and refreshing. The painter used impasto and the strokes were heavily slanted that it is as if the painter were anxious. _'Or probably it meant nothing and you're just over thinking yourself.'_

I stepped forward to look closer but as I place my right foot in front of my left one, I suddenly stumbled when I felt an intense throb in my head.

Suddenly, pictures flashed before my eyes. I couldn't see the pictures clearly as it zooms too fast. It ended too quickly and it barely even registered in my mind.

All I could remember from the pictures were the red imprints it left as it passed before my eyes and the tightening I felt in my heart that as if someone was purposely squeezing it.

I panted hard as I sat on the floor with my heart aching like hell. _'What is this feeling?'_ I thought to myself as I tried my best to breathe. It feels like something huge is taking me over and it felt excruciating.

Then I felt tears fall down my cheeks. I can't see anything. After the pictures flashed before me, I was left with nothing but pitch black.

I could hear frantic voices from the background calling my name.

'_Is that Lin?'_ I thought as I heard his voice frantically calling me. I wanted to reply but I couldn't find my voice.

'NO!' a loud shriek reverberated in my head and before I knew it, I was slapped into consciousness.

* * *

End of Chapter 6

Thank you for the reviews (hopefully you were able to read my replies) and follows/favorites! It never fails to make my day whenever I saw the notifications from my e-mail :D

The chapter outlines are almost finish :D I do them whenever I'm bored in class or when I'm procrastinating (lol)

Thank you again! :)


	8. Chapter 7 - Lin

Here's chapter 7!

This chapter was quite rushed since i'm swamped with things to do (clutch time in uni).. and finals are almost there (just 1 week left!). Hopefully you'll still like it :) I promise to do better on the next chapter :)

* * *

Chapter 7 – Lin

"MAI!" I heard a female voice shriek.

I was going down the stairs when I heard that shout and I'm sure something bad happened.

I immediately ran down the remaining stairs and dash towards where the voice came from.

'_Mai. I hope you're okay.'_

When I'm almost at the bottom of the stairs, I saw her crouching down on the floor and shaking like hell. I stopped and stared at her.

I couldn't bear what I saw. Mai was staring at something, wide eyed, yet it is as if she really couldn't see. She was pale and she shaking so hard and grasping at the material of her shirt near her chest.

"Mai!" I shouted when I snapped back to reality.

"Mai!" I repeatedly called her while I crouched down to her level. I grasped her shoulders and shook her hard trying to snap her back.

'_Mai. Please look at me.'_ I couldn't stand the way her eyes look as blank as a broken person.

"Lin. Stop." I heard Naru say behind me. I didn't comply but I just shook her harder, "Mai!"

Then suddenly, I was thrown away from her. The impact made me stumble down the floor.

It was Naru who tossed me away from Mai.

I was sitting flatly on the floor surprised with Naru's actions when I heard a loud slap resound throughout the empty hallway. Naru slapped Mai hard on the cheek and you could actually see the angry red print on her face.

I actually felt angry when I saw Naru slapped Mai and I want nothing more than to punch Naru in the face for hurting her. But when I saw the clouds on her eyes gone, I was quite thankful.

"Na-naru?" I heard Mai stammered. Mai touched her cheek where Naru slapped her and looked wide-eyed at him.

"Mai. Let's get you to the base." Naru said in a soft voice. Mai nodded in reply looking as if everything still hasn't sunk in to her yet.

I was more than surprise when Naru placed his arms around her shoulder and helped her up. I felt my heart constrict at the sight.

"Lin-san, can you get up?" Matsuzaki-san asked me as she held out her hand, probably trying to help me up.

I stood up on my own, not taking her offered hand. "Thank you Matsuzaki-san. I'm fine." I said pretending to be composed.

That's my forte, masking my emotions into a blank unfeeling one. I could not let anyone see me vulnerable especially Mai who looked super weak right now.

"Lin?" Mai said when she probably heard my voice.

I immediately went to her side.

"Are you alright Mai?" I asked. I could see that she was still being supported by Naru around her shoulders and that there's actually no space between them.

'_Not now Lin. Not now.'_

"Yes. I'm alright." Mai said trying to reassure me. _'She looked as pale as a sheet of paper, how can she be alright?'_

The four of us walked silently towards the base on the second floor. There was an unease surrounding us and no one was willing to break it.

When we finally arrived at the base, Takigawa-san immediately ran towards Mai's figure.

"Jou-chan! What happened?" Takigawa-san asked worriedly as he took Mai in his arms.

I saw Naru removed his arms around Mai's shoulder and went ahead casually to his chair in front of the monitors. His face is still blank and I couldn't imagine just what he is thinking.

"I'm fine Bou-san! Don't worry." Mai said trying to shake off the topic. Takigawa-san asked if she has any injury but Mai said that everything's fine and nothing's wrong with her.

After a few minutes of fussing over Mai, Naru interrupted their conversation.

"Mai, you saw something right?" Naru asked from his chair.

Mai looked at him. She seemed quite unsure when she nodded softly. She looked down on her feet looking nervous.

"Can you tell it to us?"

Mai nodded in reply, still as hesitant as before.

Everyone proceeded to sit on the sofa and I went to my chair near my laptop. I could see Mai's face contort to a confused expression as she probably tries to decipher something in her mind.

"Mai?" Naru said.

"A-ah. Yes," Mai started, "I saw something but it's not really more on seeing. It actually seem like I 'felt' it?"

"What is it?"

"Well pictures suddenly flashed before my eyes and it is as if I know they're pictures of memories but I wasn't really able to see them clearly. Then I felt something overwhelming but it's quite confusing. I don't know if what I felt is agony or anger. Then my heart started to constrict and," Mai stopped looking down at her hands on her lap.

"And?" Naru asked urging her to continue.

"And, I heard a loud female voice shriek in my head saying 'no'." she finally said.

We were all quiet for a while trying to digest what she just said since it's really not quite clear. Then questions suddenly started to form in my head.

_Whose feelings did she actually felt? Was the girl's voice that she heard Rosette Aoi's voice? If so, was Rosette Aoi still agonizing over her tragic love or where she angry at the school for ruining it?_

Those were probably the thoughts of the whole SPR members. But as it is not clear, we know we can't conclude anything for now. There might probably more spirits around the school than we know.

"Hara-san would come here on Wednesday. We could affirm from her what Mai saw and if there's actually more than what we can see." Naru said as he close his black notebook with a snap.

"Isn't Masako-chan busy?" Matsuzaki-san said.

"She is, but Hara-san said that she can come on Wednesday and leave by Sunday since she does not have any schedules on those days." Naru replied.

"Then we would be able to know who's actually causing those incidents and leave this creepy castle immediately." Takigawa-san sighed and flopped back on the sofa's headrest.

'_Hopefully it would be that easy.'_

I saw Mai frown as if she's thinking deeply about something. I wonder if she's still thinking about what happened earlier.

"Then if you all wanted to finish this case immediately, please stand up and investigate each and every spot in the whole school. Find out if there's anything strange and when you're going to the lake, please go together. We don't want to have any more casualties." Naru said.

Everyone sighed and stood up, even Mai. '_Is Naru going to make Mai investigate in her condition?'_

I opened my mouth to ask Naru if he can let Mai go this time but he beat me to it.

"Mai, sit. Trouble follows you wherever you go so for now, stay here and monitor the base." Naru said.

Mai was shocked with what Naru said and replied, "I can manage Naru! I'm fine now."

"No. Stay here. Lin and I would go through the school's archives in the library, someone needs to stay here and you're the best suited for the job. Just, don't sleep." Naru said with finality and Mai just resigned down to the sofa.

We all know that those words, _'Just, don't sleep'_ meant that she can actually sleep but she should wake up with some vital information that she gained from her dreams.

Everyone left and before I follow Naru, I went to where Mai is sitting and sat beside her.

I took a deep breath before I started saying anything. I looked down on my hands trying to stop them from shaking. I don't want to start spouting words off like any nervous person would.

"Mai, please be careful." I said with the worried tone from my voice eminent. I don't know what I would do if Mai got into trouble again.

"Don't worry Lin. Nothing could possibly go wrong here." Mai assured with a smile. "Well, I could probably die of boredom but that's it." She shrugged.

"But still, just," I paused and looked at her, "just be careful." I sighed finally.

She looked at me with a confused expression. I don't want to see her being so vulnerable and weak again and when I remembered what happened earlier, I just suddenly cannot control my mouth.

"Do you know how worried you made me feel when I saw you sitting down on the floor and looking as if you're not with me and that you're somewhere I couldn't go?"

"Do you know that I couldn't stand the fact that I'm right in front of you yet you can't see me?"

"Do you know that I was hell out of my mind and scared shitless."

I rambled on and on saying everything that I felt earlier. I know I lost my composure and even if it's embarrassing on my part, I can't help but pour it all out on Mai.

When I saw Mai's lips quirk upwards, smiling that most comforting smile of hers, I sighed finally able to snap myself back. She has the most amazing ways of controlling me even if she does it unconsciously.

"Just, be careful." I said. I turned around and went for the door. Before I could finally leave the base, I felt Mai's hands grasped mine.

She held my hand between hers. The way our hands joined together made it seem like it was carved perfectly to suit one another. She tightened her grip on my hand and looked at me straight in the eyes. Her eyes were the perfect shade of brown that had me captivated.

"Thank you Lin, for actually worrying about me." Mai said with a smile that made my heart stop. She then raised her hands to touch my cheeks in a comforting manner making me slightly tilt my head towards where her hand is placed. "It made me happy."

* * *

End of Chapter 7

I know Lin is very OOC in this chapter but that's the essence(?) of MaixLin friendship ;) (or something more) since because of Mai, Lin finally sheds off his walls.

Thank you for reading! :D

Let me know what you think about this chapter!


	9. Chapter 8 - Mai

Here's chapter 8! Hope you like it :)

* * *

Chapter 8 – Mai

I know I shouldn't feel this way when I have troubled and made everyone worried but I can't help but feel elated when Lin lost his composure earlier and said all those words.

Does Lin like, like me? Or was he worried because we are best friends?

I know I shouldn't think deeply about what happened earlier but I can't stop myself from thinking that I kind of have hope with Lin.

'_What hope are you talking about Mai? Do I like Lin?'_

I've been feeling weird around Lin lately and before, when he was still in England, there came a time when I started to feel nervous and excited whenever I saw Lin's name on my inbox. You could actually hear my heartbeat in North Pole.

Is this actually what liking someone means? I know I've experienced it with Naru before, but actually feeling this way is new for me. What if I actually like Lin? Will I have the courage to confess to him or should I just held my feelings in? Will it hurt our friendship?

I suddenly felt a chill ran down my spine. It was as if someone was watching me.

I looked around the base trying to find something wrong in it. Am I really such a magnet for trouble that even if I'm in the base ghosts still follow me?

I slowly turned around and faced the door, feeling scared at what I might actually see there. I felt my heart almost jumped out of my rib cage when I saw someone, a man, standing by the door.

The door was closed and I could only see him from the glass of the door. He looked serious and somewhat angry. He was staring straight at me and I felt cold sweat broke out of my skin.

He couldn't possibly be a student since it is summer vacation then, is he a teacher?

We stared at each other for what seem like hours. His eyes were staring straight into mine. I flinched away when I saw his face move. I thought he was going to do something but he just moved his mouth, as if he was saying something. _'O? E?'_

Is there something significant with those letters? What does O and E means? I step forward to look more closely at his mouth to understand what he's actually saying but he suddenly disappeared in a blinked.

Without any much thought, I ran towards the door and checked where the man has gone.

What surprised me when I went outside the base was the long empty hallway. The man I saw earlier peeking through the door was nowhere to be found. How fast can he be?

'_Or he has the capacity to disappear in thin air?''_

The thought made me shiver. He couldn't possibly be a spirit right? _Right?_

Feeling anxious, I went back inside the base and closed the door. I prayed that what I saw just now is actually a human. But the words or letters that he mouthed at me can't seem to escape from my mind. What did that man actually wanted to say? Is it a code or something?

I went back to my chair in front of the monitors. I was trying to get the fear out of my system and the mind-boggling thoughts from my brain by getting myself busy with monitoring the cameras.

Nothing good will happen if I just scare myself. I stared at the monitors praying that something that could help us with this case happen. Still, as I watch the monitors, I can't help but think of the letters that the man had mouthed.

A sudden wave of drowsiness hit me. What happened earlier in front of the painting and right now has probably put a great toll in my body. I tried to fight away the drowsiness but soon, I found myself at a pitch black place.

"_You don't have a place here you poor bitch." I heard someone say and when I turned around to look for the voice, I saw a group of ladies ganging up on someone._

'_I'm probably dreaming. That means I fell asleep and hopefully, I can wake up before Naru comes back.'_

_The girl being surrounded by the other girls was actually a beauty. She has a natural brown hair and a pair of striking eyes. She looked pretty familiar._

_The girl looked at her bullies without any fear._

_When the other girls finished bullying her, she slumped at the wall behind her and crouched keeping to herself. I can see soft trembles on her body and it was as if she was crying. _

_She must have been scared._

_Then I heard a pair of voice laughing joyously behind my back. _

_I turned around and saw the girl being bullied earlier laughing while painting on a canvass. The other person laughing was a man. I couldn't properly see his face as he was turned away from me._

_The man must have been the teacher who fell in love with her._

_They looked quite happy and joyously teasing each other but you couldn't actually feel any chemistry between them. It was as if the two of them were just friends hanging out together. _

_Suddenly, everything went back to being pitch black. I heard someone sobbing from behind. I turned around to see who it was. I jumped back when I saw the bullied girl, probably Rosette Aoi, standing close to me. Her face was tear stricken and she looked really forlorn._

_Suddenly, blood began streaming out of her forehead, almost covering her entire face. I can't see any wound from her forehead but it won't stop bleeding. _

_Piles of blood started to pool around us. _

_Feeling somewhat scared, I took another step back. I know I shouldn't feel scared since this was only a dream but I can't help the shivers I felt._

I woke up with the voices of the other SPR members. I opened my tear-crusted eyes and saw that everyone was already in the room. They were staring at me in a curious manner and I blushed profusely when I finally realized that they were probably watching me sleep since they arrived.

* * *

End of Chapter 8

Thank you for reading! :)


	10. Chapter 9 - Lin

Here's chapter 9!

I reread the previous chapter (chapter 8) and found some grammatical errors. :( I tried my best editing this one so I hope there's no more error :) (even though it's our finals week TToTT)

Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt

* * *

Chapter 9 – Lin

"Lin. What's wrong?" I heard Naru ask from his side. He was going through the records from 20 years ago since we might be able to find some clues as to who was the culprit of the accidents. "You've been staring at the same page since we got here."

'_What am I doing?'_

"I'm sorry. I was just lost in thought." I said and went back to reading the records made by the headmaster 20 years ago. I tried to read and actually understand what was written but my mind can't help but wander off to a certain brunette.

I can't stop worrying about her. Mai has a tendency to attract trouble wherever she goes and the past cases three years ago proved it. She would always keep us on our toes and wonder when will she be in trouble again, but the best thing about it was she would always be able to get away from those troubles and improve her abilities.

The sound of a book closing echoed through the room stopping my train of thought about Mai. Naru sighed and placed the book he was holding awhile ago to the table in front of him.

"I couldn't find anything." He said while pinching the bridge of his nose. We've been reading, with me mostly just staring at a single page, the records inside the archive section of the library for almost an hour. "I'll go back to the base for now and check if Mai is sleeping on work."

That is Naru's way of saying he wanted to rest and drink some tea while he's at it. He would always use Mai's habit of sleeping on cases as an excuse to get away for a while. Well, not that I could blame him. Naru works harder than any of us after all.

I nodded in reply to him. I could get a little peace of mind if Mai is with Naru. She probably wouldn't get in trouble if Naru is with her.

'_What peace of mind? Admit it, you'll get envious of Naru.'_

"While I'm gone, please stop staring at that page and actually read it." Naru said as he stacks the records he's been reading into a single pile. "And bring these back to the shelves."

Naru left, leaving me alone to the silence of the library. I'm sure Naru has sensed that something is wrong with me. He probably wanted to leave me alone to get my thoughts settled. We've been together for almost our whole lives for nothing.

I went back to reading the records I have and actually trying to read and understand what was written on it.

'_A suicide incident happened within the vicinity of the school, specifically at the school's lake. A student named Rosette Aoi and a teacher Seno Ichikawa claimed that the school's persecution, regarding their relationship, to be taking a toll in them. The two said in their suicide letter, with Rosette Aoi's handwriting, that they wanted to preserve their love that the school has very much tried to break. The letter mostly came as a surprise to the faculty as nobody knew anything about their relationship. We've asked some students about it. Most students have heard of the rumors going around about Aoi and Ichikawa's relationship but have never really proved the said rumor…'_

The record is full of contradictories when compared to the story going on around the school. The school administration knew nothing about the two's relationship so how will they actually 'fire' Seno Ichikawa. Although according to the record, there were actually rumors spreading about their relationship. But is that rumor enough to drive a couple to commit suicide?

These things were not really making any sense. Right now, after reading this, we couldn't actually believe anything from the story. We may have to cast away the story from our investigation to actually find something out that could lead us to the culprit.

After reading a few more reports, I couldn't find anything. The report I've read earlier was enough to start our gears and investigate on the other side of the coin but before we do so, I need to confirm something from Yasuhara-san.

I decided to stop investigating in the archives for now and return to the base. I started returning the reports we pulled out from the shelves. There was not much to clean since there were only a few reports from 20 years ago.

When I finished returning all the reports, I decided to return to the base. Naru and Mai had probably started bickering or annoying each other again.

I admit, sometimes I felt jealous with the attention Mai gives to Naru. Sometimes, I wished that Mai was bickering with me instead. But mostly, I'm satisfied with staying in the sidelines and watching her. I think that's the most I could do.

When I'm almost at the base, I noticed that it was quiet. The two of them probably finished annoying one another and is now on the ignoring phase. That's mostly their routine before.

I walked faster, wanting to see Mai. I could talk to her for a while before the other SPR members arrived. With that in mind, I arrived in front of the base. The door was quite ajar so you could see what's inside and what I saw left me wide-eyed.

Naru was standing in front of Mai's sleeping figure. Her arms crossed on the table and her head lying on top of her crossed arms. Naru was just standing and staring at her. His face was, as usual, expressionless. I didn't move from my place, I just watched Naru watch Mai while sleeping.

Slowly, Naru lifted his arms and wiped a single tear that fell from Mai's eyes. It was a gentle gesture that is very much different from Naru's usual attitude. I saw his face slowly contort into what seem like concern or sadness. He then slipped a lock of hair, which had fallen in front of her face, behind her ears. It was another gesture that is very unlike Naru.

To say that I was surprised by his actions is an understatement. I had never seen Naru act this way. Does Naru have feelings for Mai as well? If so, then why did he reject her when she confessed three years ago?

"Lin-san!" I heard someone call from my right side. It was probably Takigawa-san and the other SPR members coming back from their own investigation. "What are you doing just standing out there?"

I didn't even glance at them. Naru turned his head in my direction when he heard their voice and he looked as if he was caught doing something bad. We were locked in a staring competition with his eyes stretched wide. It was only for a second but it was as if we're staring for a whole lot longer. He regained his usual composure and blank expression and dropped his hand from Mai's head.

* * *

End of chapter 9

It's quite short but well... things are looking up (in the romance part) and in the next few chapters, it would be all about the case. :)

Thank you for reading!


	11. Chapter 10 - Mai

Here's chapter 10! Hope you like it :)

* * *

Chapter 10 – Mai

"Sorry," I immediately said after I came to my senses, "I fell asleep."

The whole SPR team was already at the base and if being caught sleeping while working is not embarrassing enough, I found myself rubbing my eyes off of tear stains.

"It's not unusual Mai," Ayako chuckled, "You used to sleep a lot before."

I blushed remembering how I always fall asleep during cases. I used to dream about clues and helpful things but as I remember my dream earlier, I don't think it could help.

"Although Mai," Ayako started, "why were you crying in your sleep? Did you saw anything related to the case?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice when I suddenly remembered the gruesome sight of Rosette Aoi bleeding out in front of me. I shuddered at the memory. Why would my dream show me a bleeding Rosette when she died drowning?

"Do we have to spell it out to you," Naru spoke from is chair in front of the monitors, "or will you actually comprehend on your own that we want you to tell us about your dream?"

Someone's got their panties in a twist.

Naru seems irritated as ever and I wonder if the missing tea cup in front of him was the reason. He should live on a tea IV and stop being as cranky as he is now.

I saw Lin from the corner of my eye watch Naru intently. He seems to be confused about something since he got that cute little crease between his brows.

Sighing, I started to recollect my thoughts and actually began retelling my dream.

"At first I watched Rosette being bullied by some of the students," I started, not really wanting to go into every single detail of my dream. "Then the dream shifted to a scene where Rosette was painting and Seno Ichikawa was laughing with her at something that Rosette said. Then,"

I stopped when I remembered the scene where Rosette bleeds out. It's not something you want to reminisce after you just woke up.

"Then," I spoke, testing my voice. "I saw Rosette stood right in front of me. There seems to be a wound in her forehead since blood just started to fall from her head then after that, there just seem to be blood everywhere." I ended, feeling a little sick.

I was greeted with silence after I ended. Seconds ticked by and suddenly, Ayako was hugging me. "Mai! I'm sorry that you have to remember it." Ayako said as she tightens her hold to me.

"It's fine Ayako." I reassured her, "As long as I could be of help."

Naru spoke, breaking Ayako's hold to me. "Lin, did you find anything in the archive after I left?" He seemed to be deep in thought.

My eyes shifted to Lin. He was leaning by the table with his legs stretched out in front of him and his ankles crossed. He looked like he came out straight from a business magazine with his suit and serious face. He began shuffling the papers he's holding as if looking for something.

"I read the headmaster's report from the incident 20 years ago." He said after he found the paper he's been looking for. "And it seems like nobody from the faculty knew about the relationship of Aoi and Ichikawa."

Lin gave the paper to Naru. "The letter as what was written in the report was written by Aoi and also according to it, their relationship was only just a rumor until they decided to commit suicide."

The paper that Lin handed to Naru was being passed around the team. Ayako gave it to me after she read what was written. The paper actually held a handwritten copy of the headmaster's report.

The writing was an elegant script that perfectly suits Lin's personality.

"So," Bou-san started, "We should probably discard the story for now. It must have been altered as it was passed from one person to the other."

"That's my thought as well." Lin replied. "The story has led us this far and it won't hurt to ignore it for now."

We all agreed to it but there's something that's been bothering me for now. If there's actually no 'persecuting' that happened, what did pushed the two to kill themselves? Was it really a suicide?

"Why would they jump from the lake if that is so? Is a mere rumor enough to drive someone to death?" Naru muttered to himself but everyone was able to hear it. "What if it's not actually suicide but a wound in the head that killed Aoi?"

I was surprised when I hear the last bit of what Naru said. He's actually considering my dream as a clue.

Again, there was just silence. Everyone must be analyzing the case in their minds.

"Let's stop for now." Naru spoke after a few minutes. "There should be food in the rooms and after you eat, please do sleep so we won't be running around in circles tomorrow."

* * *

It's now Wednesday and the investigation is not really as successful as we have expected. There are no spirit activities and that made everyone pretty laidback, much to Naru's annoyance.

Today, Masako would be coming to help us until she return to Tokyo on Sunday for her shooting. It seems like even though she's busy enough with her TV show, she was still able to find time to squeeze SPR in, probably all because of Naru.

"Masako." I greeted when I saw her enter the base. She looked stunning as usual with her kimono and her hair was longer than before, falling just above the middle of her spine.

"Good morning Mai." Masako greeted back with a smile. It was a civilized greeting unlike the one's we have before. I guess three years made us pretty much mature.

"Hara-san," Naru spoke from his usual spot in front of the monitors. "Would you like to start now or would you prefer to rest?"

That was very much like Naru to go straight to the point. He wastes no time.

"I would prefer to start now. It's better to start things as soon as possible."

Naru nodded from his spot and said, "Matsuzaki-san, Takigawa-san, and John, you can stay here in the base. Mai, Lin and I will go with Hara-san."

"Thank god!" Ayako exclaimed. "We can finally rest from all those walking."

I just laughed at Ayako and we proceeded to investigate the whole school once more. We didn't dwell much inside the building, instead after walking for a while, we immediately went outside to check the lake. I never expected that I would be stuck with the silent trio. Hopefully, Lin would talk to me.

"How are you Lin?" I asked, breaking the silence that has been irritating me since we left the base. I guess Lin wouldn't really start a conversation. "You've been running around here and there."

Naru glanced back to us but said nothing. He was walking with Masako while Lin and I trail behind them. We were walking casually, stopping whenever Masako felt something.

"I'm fine." Lin replied. "I'm made of some strong stuff. How about you? Been staying away from trouble?"

I surprised myself by laughing. Lin seemed amused by my laughter and chuckled to himself as well. I never expected for Lin to catch up on my joke.

Honestly, we didn't doing anything at all. Yesterday, we were just sitting around in the base doing nothing. Even Lin gave up from his investigation after a while and joined us. This case has been making us all lazy.

"I'm quite tired myself." I said chuckling. "I never thought sitting around could be so tiring. I think I lost fifty pounds from all those lounging I did."

"We can't have that, can we? You should rest sometime and hoard the sofa."

"That would end up with Bou-san's butt in my face. You know him; he would pretend not to see me resting there."

We chuckled at the thought of Bou-san actually sitting on me and pretending not to see me.

"If you two haven't notice," Naru spoke, interrupting our little laughing fest, "we arrived at the lake." He seemed quite cranky as usual.

We stopped laughing and Lin composed himself back to his stoic face. I can't help but compare how Lin looks better smiling than when he wears his stoic or emotionless expression.

I snapped back when I heard Masako gasped. She covered her mouth with the sleeves of her kimono and I noticed her hand quivering.

"What is it Hara-san?" Naru asked, stepping forward to look at where Masako was looking.

Masako pointed somewhere in the lake. "I can feel two strong spirits here and other weak spirits. I can feel a mixture of anger and sorrow from the spirits and it was as if they were being held back by something in this lake."

"I can also feel someone asking for help. The emotion was so strong that it's probably from one of the two stronger spirits."

Masako started to quiver more and soon, she almost fell to her knees. Luckily, Naru was able to catch her.

"Let's go back to the base."

* * *

"How was the investigation?" Bou-san asked as soon as we arrived at the base.

Bou-san was sitting on the larger sofa with Jonh while Ayako was sitting alone on the smaller one. Naru helped Masako walk towards the larger sofa and help her settled there. I noticed how Masako clings to Naru more than usual.

Lin told them what Masako said earlier when we're at the lake while I prepare tea for everyone.

"The two strong spirits were without a doubt Rosette Aoi and Seno Ichikawa. The weaker ones must have been those who drowned in there." Bou-san said. He's now sitting at the armrest of the sofa where Ayako was sitting.

"Then," John pitched in, "it was probably Rosette who's asking for help. After all there would be no reason, from what we know, for Seno Ichikawa to ask for help."

I placed the tea in front of everyone and they murmured their thanks. After setting Naru's tea in fron of him, he took a little sip and said, "Let's put all those to our bag of speculations, which seem to be the only thing we are getting from this case."

"But," Naru added as he placed his tea back to the table, "We're nearer than we've been before."

* * *

End of Chapter 10.

Thank you for reading :)


	12. Chapter 11 - Lin

Here's chapter 11! Hope you like it :)

* * *

Chapter 11 – Lin

"Continue your investigation inside the school," Naru spoke, placing his tea cup in the table in front of him. "And relay any information that may be related to the case."

Everyone nodded in agreement. They may not think that we're getting nearer in solving the case but they believe in what Naru says. He's always steps ahead of us. They knew that Naru must have an inclination as to how this case will end.

And I think we have the same idea.

"I'll be investigating once more around the school." Hara-san said, standing up from the sofa.

"That would help." Naru replied. "John, please accompany Hara-san."

Everyone left to investigate for the nth time inside the school. Most of us probably knew already that investigating inside the school is fruitless but it seems that Naru thinks otherwise. He believes that we can somehow find something inside the school that could help us solve this case.

Naru opened his notebook and flipped the pages until he found what he's looking for. "So," Naru started, reading from his notebook. "We knew that Rosette Aoi is a good student and Seno Ichikawa is considered as a good teacher except for his short temper."

"There's also the dates, the incident all happened on the 29th of April." Naru added, stating another fact.

"There's Junpei Kazuki and Shinozora Suzuki, the only two that survived. And then the-"

A loud gasp stopped Naru. It came from the other side of the room where Mai is. We both looked at Mai's direction as she stared back at us wide-eyed.

"Did you just say Junpei Kazuki?" Mai asked, still looking surprised.

"Yes." Naru replied. "Does the name sound familiar to you?"

"It's just," Mai said, sounding uncertain. "It's the name of the president of my org."

My eyes grew wide at the realization. He was the one I met when I went to pick Mai up at the university. Why didn't I realize it earlier?

"Mai," I said, catching Mai's attention. "Did you tell him anything about the case?"

Mai looked confused at my question. "Yes I did." She replied, "I told him that we'll be taking a case related to the tragic love story of Scared Heart."

That's why.

"Junpei Kazuki has gone off after his graduation without a trace. He has also been hiding from the investigators of the incidents. When we met, he didn't tell me his complete name, that's probably because he knew that I would recognize it." I explained.

"Quite an intelligent kid." Naru spoke. "But now that we have a face to the name, we can already question him immediately."

"If it would be that easy." I said. "He purposely left off his surname just to throw me off, he's probably that adamant to being questioned."

"We'll personally meet him. I can be quite persuasive if I want to." Naru said. "He'll have to talk sooner or later and I don't have the patience to wait for that 'later' to come."

I know that Naru won't return here without getting any information from Junpei Kazuki but will the answers really be worth it? Junpei Kazuki must have wanted to forget everything related to that night of the incident.

"Why would Junpei-kun be adamant about being questioned?" Mai asked. She is sitting now on the sofa while looking down on her hands. "Wouldn't his answers help solve the mystery about his girlfriend's death?" Mai ended, looking straight to me.

"There are three kinds of people in this world," Naru spoke from his side. "Those who don't want to know the answer, those who just sit and wait for answers, and those who search for them."

"Junpei Kazuki probably knew something that he thought the investigators wouldn't believe. That's why he's reluctant, and that's why he probably joined the Parapsychology Org." I said.

Mai nodded, seemingly caught in her thoughts. "Does that mean that Junpei-kun is searching for answers himself?"

"Yes." Naru answered. "And our crazy friend, Shinozora Suzuki, might not really be that crazy."

"So we're on the right track." Mai said. "This is really a paranormal case."

"I think we've established that a long time ago." I said to Mai, smiling at her flustered face.

"NARU!" John shouted as he slammed the door open. He was helping a pale Hara-san walk who seems to be too distressed to actually stand up.

"What happened John?" Naru asked as he stood up from his chair.

I walked over to them and helped John carry Masako while Mai stood up from the sofa to make way for Hara-san. She was shaking when I touched her and her eyes brimming with tears.

"Hara-san was attacked." John said after we settled Hara-san to the sofa. She looked less unnerved now.

"We were walking down the halls when we saw a man." John started. "Hara-san said that it was the teacher and one of the stronger spirits she felt in the lake. We didn't do anything at first but the spirit suddenly went towards us and before I knew it, Hara-san was clutching her chest, unable to breathe."

"What happened after?" Naru asked.

"I was able to exorcise it but it actually just disappeared."

Questions suddenly formed inside my head. Why did the spirit of Seno Ichikawa attack Hara-san? Why would he even attack anyone? Are my speculations really right? It was not a suicide incident but a-

"We should try and exorcise the lake." Naru spoke in finality. "Even if there is no guarantee that it would work."

* * *

The exorcism proved to be useless.

From the monitors, the spirits cried out and disappeared but according to Hara-san, they still linger. Hara-san said that the weaker spirits are willing to move on but the two stronger spirits held them back.

"Therefore, before we can exorcise the spirits," Naru spoke from his chair while reading something from his black notebook. He snapped it close and continued, "We need to find the reason or culprit for Rosette Aoi's and Seno Ichikawa's death. That way, we can actually get them to move on."

"How can that help?" Mai asked.

"Most spirits linger because something is holding them back, usually because they couldn't accept the cause of their death." I answered.

* * *

End of Chapter 11

Thanks for reading! :)


	13. Chapter 12 - Mai

There's no 'romance' here yet (there is if you squint ;D) but there would be quite a revelation on the next chapter. Yay! After that, the next few chapters would be concentrating on finishing the case :)

Here's chapter 12! :) Hope you like it!

* * *

Chapter 12 – Mai

It's Thursday morning and I'm having what you call the world's most boring car ride ever.

Naru and I are currently driving back to Tokyo to interview Junpei-kun and we'll return to Sacred Heart tomorrow along with Yasuhara. Naru insisted that I should come since I'm quite close with Junpei-kun but I doubt me being there would actually make a difference.

As usual, Naru is silently driving the car. I did not dare start a conversation because surely, he wouldn't reply. I resigned myself to gazing at the view from the passenger seat. The view was a beautiful landscape of greens that you really couldn't see from the city. The morning light made it glitter and–

"What do you think?" Naru suddenly asked from the driver seat. I was too surprised that he would even start a conversation with me that I wasn't able to catch what he's saying.

"Huh?" I asked, twisting my face into a confused expression.

"I asked about your opinion regarding the case." He sighed, shaking his head.

Was he really asking me for my opinion? Where's Naru and what did the aliens do to him? "Sorry I didn't hear you at first."

Now that I'm thinking about it, there's this something that my gut has been telling me, I'm just not sure what it is. "I think that we might have probably encountered the culprit."

Yes. That's what probably it is.

"But I guess we're too distracted by other things to actually see it." Fiddling with my fingers, I remembered what Lin said about throwing the story aside and looking at things in a different perspective.

"I guess we have the same idea." Naru said without even looking my way. His gaze was fixed on the road but knowing Naru, he's probably thinking about the case. "I think Lin is also already suspecting something."

"Or someone." I added after a few moments.

I've been feeling, since day one, that what we see or know is totally different from the truth and I can't help but feel frustrated not knowing what it is.

But there's something I've been wondering about. "What do you think is the reason for Seno Ichikawa to attack Masako?" I added, "He does not really give me the feeling of being violent, although he looks really angry."

There were a few moments before Naru answered and I guess his answer didn't surprise me at all. "Hara-san looks a lot like Rosette Aoi."

I guess that's it. That was why I thought Rosette Aoi looked familiar when I saw her in my dreams. She resembles Masako.

"But even so, why would she attack 'Rosette Aoi'? Aren't they lovers?" I wondered.

"You just said it earlier," Naru started. "We should discard the story."

I forgot. Then if that is so, "There must be something that happened in their relationship."

"Or there's no relationship in the first place." I added after the realization struck me. That's probably why I didn't feel any chemistry or romance when I saw them together. That's why everything is so messed up.

Thinking about it, if there's no relationship in the first place, why would there be a rumor? If there's a smoke, then there should be a fire right? If this is so, Rosette Aoi and Seno Ichikawa must be pretty close for people to misunderstand.

Or was the rumor purposely spread?

"Mai." Naru spoke, cutting me from my thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"How did you know that Seno Ichikawa is not violent and looks angry?" he said, now looking at me. "Did you encounter him?"

"Well I forgot to tell you but," I paused, not really feeling comfortable with the way Naru looks at me. He narrowed his eyes, as if calculating me. "Yes. Now please look at the road."

Naru sighed and turned his gaze back to the road. "It is so like you to forget something this important. When did this happen and what did he do?"

"When I was left alone on the base." Remembering what happened, I was pretty tired at that time plus the fact that I dreamt about Rosette and Seno, I guess it must have slipped off from my mind. "He was just standing from the other side of the door and was saying something I couldn't really understand."

"Saying something?"

"I could only muster 'O' and 'E' from the way his mouth moves." I really wasn't able to get what he was saying and even now, I'm not sure he said 'O' and 'E'. It must have been a character.

Naru just hummed in response. He was now sporting a small curve on the tip of his lips. "I guess my thoughts were on the right place."

"What? You figured it out?" I asked surprised. "What is it?"

"Stop asking." Naru replied, his expression returning to the stoic one. "You might jinx it."

Well I guess I'll know about it soon. Although what was more surprising was the fact that this was the very first conversation I had with Naru without him calling me an 'idiot'.

I guess some people are capable of change.

* * *

"What time did you tell Junpei Kazuki to come?" Naru looked at his watched for the nth time since we arrived in the coffee shop.

"I told you, I said 2 pm. He's probably just running late."

I sipped on my coffee, which was already pretty cold. We've been waiting for Junpei-kun for almost an hour but it is only 2:20 pm so technically, he's only 20 minutes late.

Naru returned to reading something in his black notebook. He looks pretty irritated and well it's not like I blame him. Sighing, I turned my gaze outside. We were sitting beside the glass that overlooks the sidewalk and it's actually interesting to watch different people walking all day long.

Because what you see is never what it seems.

Someone filled with tattoo may be the kindest person in the world.

Someone who seems kind and who always smiles may actually be twisted inside.

"Mai-chan!" Someone called. I turned to see Junpei-kun walking towards our table smiling apologetically at me. "I'm sorry I'm late. There's suddenly something I need to do at the Para org."

"No it's fine," Naru snapped his notebook close, the sound made Junpei-kun look at him. "We only waited for an hour."

Junpei-kun looked confuse and I just gestured for him to sit. "Ignore him Junpei-kun. Please sit." I sighed.

"So," Naru started while opening his laptop. Since Lin is not here, he'll be the one to record the conversation. "You're Junpei Kazuki?"

"Yes." Junpei-kun smiled warmly at Naru. "And you're probably Kazuya Shibuya."

"Yes." I could feel Naru get more irritated by every second.

"I already know why you wanted me here." Junpei-kun said, surprising me. I guess Naru had anticipated it but the fact that Junpei-kun is one of the victims still hasn't sink into me yet. "And I will tell you what I've told every other investigator that came to question me."

"I don't know anything."

Both Junpei-kun and Naru said it at the same time. I stared wide-eyed at Naru. He probably knew that he would say it and by the smile on Naru's face, this just confirmed something that he's been thinking.

"Let's start again shall we?" Naru smiled but his eyes weren't. It was more of a calculating smile rather than a smile that welcomes people. "What happened on the 29th of April when you and your girlfriend got into an accident on the lake?"

Naru didn't say the word 'died'. He's trying to actually get Junpei-kun to open up.

Junpei-kun looked as if he's staring into something that's not present. He is just sitting beside us staring at the glass in front of him. A few moments later, he finally sighed. He looked like he was battling something in his mind, probably thinking if he should tell us something or not.

"Shizuka she," Junpei-kun sighed. He placed his hands together on the table and stared at it. "My girlfriend wanted to go to the lake to do the tradition thing. She said that we will be together forever if we did so. I guess she was wrong."

"I'm here and she's not." He brushed his hair back with his hands and slumped on the chair. He stared at the ceiling as if it would give the answers he wanted. "We did the tradition thing and promised to be together forever but when we're already leaving, I noticed she's not walking beside me. That's when I saw it."

Junpei-kun stopped. Moments passed and I almost thought that he wouldn't speak again but when I saw his hands shaking beside him, I guess he's just trying to erase the picture in his mind.

He sat back straight and placed his hands on the table. "She was dragged by someone down the lake. I tried to reach out to her but she told me to run. She said that I should go. I really didn't want to but when I saw the tears on her face, begging me to live, I just had to. I ran and when I looked back, she was gone, as well as the one dragging her down."

Silence engulfed us after Junpei-kun finished speaking. He was now looking at his hands and the look on his face says that he regretted not saving her so much. He must think that instead of her, he should be the one dragged down to the lake, but I'm sure Shizuka-san wouldn't like that.

"That's all." Junpei-kun spoke after a few minutes, breaking the silence. "That's all I knew and if you think that there's more, you're just wasting your time."

"It's fine," Naru nodded and looked at Junpei-kun straight in the eyes. "But I have one last question."

"Shoot."

"Were you able to see the face of the person or thing that dragged your girlfriend down the lake?" Naru watched Junpei-kun's face for any changes.

"No." Junpei-kun replied, staring back at Naru's intimidating look.

Naru hummed in reply and went to type something in his laptop. My eyes trained towards the smirk that's now forming on Naru's lips. It seems like he got the answer he wanted, but was it really the 'no' that Junpei-kun said?

Or was it something that he saw on Junpei-kun's face?

* * *

End of Chapter 12

I know this is a Mai x Naru chapter but it's quite vital to the whole love triangle thing (oops :o) but don't worry! ;) I'm a huge mai x lin fan *laughs*

I also dropped a lot of clues in this chapter about the case. Let me know what you think will be the end of it or who do you think is the culprit of it all :D

Thank you for reading!


	14. Chapter 13 - Lin

Here's chapter 13! Hope you'll like it :)

There'll be some revelation here and yeah xD tell me what you think about the little revelation :)

* * *

Chapter 13 – Lin

"Lin-san? Lin-san?"

"LIN-SAN!" I was jolted out of my thoughts when I heard someone shout my name. I was too engrossed thinking about a certain energetic brunette that I didn't notice someone calling me.

"Yes?" I turned around to face the person who's been shouting my name.

"Someone's calling you." A grinning Matsuzaki-san said as she gestured towards my phone. I saw Naru's name blinking on the screen, calling. I muttered a thank you to Matsuzaki-san and she just turned around and chuckled. "Mai must be tired."

"Eh? Jou-chan? Why would she?" Takigawa-san spoke from one of the sofas.

I reached out to answer the call.

"She's been running on someone's mind for the whole day." I coughed when I heard Matsuzaki-san spoke.

"_Lin? What happened?"_ Naru said from the other line.

"Nothing."

Naru hummed in reply. _"We're almost there. Yasuhara is with us."_

"Ok. I'll go down and pick you up." I can hear a few snickers from behind and I guess Matsuzaki-san must be the reason.

"_Sure."_ Naru ended the call.

_Am I too obvious to these people?_ Sighing, I went back to typing the case file.

* * *

"Lin!" Mai shouted as she climbed out of the car. I can't help but be captivated with the way she runs, especially now that she's running towards me. Her hair was whipped in a bun and a huge smile decorated her face. I was caught off guard when she immediately hugged me. "I missed you!"

I instinctively smiled when I felt her warm body pressed against mine. It felt comfortably normal to be this close with her. "I missed you too." I muttered in her hair.

I felt myself lost in her warmth and entrancing scent. I caught myself inhaling her scent a few times before I heard a cough. I raised my head to see a frowning Naru in front of me. Mai couldn't see it since her back was turned to him.

"Could you stop your little reunion? We have some stuff to do." Naru folded his arms and stood expectantly.

Mai immediately removed herself from my arms and blushed profusely. I can't help but adore the way her whole face turns to red whenever she's embarrassed.

"Naru-chan!" Yasuhara said, placing his arm around Naru's shoulders. "Leave them to their little pink world."

Naru slipped away from Yasuhara's arms and went to walk towards the front door of the building. "I expect you all to be at the base in five minutes."

"He's not that cranky earlier when he's driving. Why the sudden change of mood?" Mai murmured as she went to carry her duffel bag out of the car.

"I think I have an idea why." I remembered how Naru affectionately brushed Mai's tears away while she was sleeping. It was the first time I saw Naru act that way and it was also the first time I truly felt that Mai might slip off from my fingers.

"Did you say something Lin?"

"Nothing." I smiled at Mai and went to reach for her duffel bag. "I'll carry this."

* * *

"Yasuhara," Naru spoke, catching the attention of Yasuhara. "Can you start telling us what you found out from the police records?"

Yasuhara stopped talking with the other SPR members and reached out to get something from his bag. "Sure. I've found some interesting facts that seemed to be kept a secret."

I opened my laptop to record what Yasuhara will say. I was hoping to hear something from his investigation that might confirm my assumption about the case. Although I know that things are just starting to unravel, I can't help but feel that my speculations are actually right. Call it instinct.

"Here." Yasuhara passed a folder filled with papers to Naru. "That's the actually police records and please, don't ask me how I got it."

"The accident, base on those reports, is clearly not a suicide incident." Yasuhara started. Naru began flipping through the records that Yasuhara brought. "The incident happened on April 29 twenty years ago, similar to the date of the other three accidents. Seno Ichikawa was said to have a severe head wound and strangle marks on his neck, which clearly says that it's not suicide on his part. Rosette Aoi on the other hand, has a wound on her forehead, which like in Seno's case, tells us that she didn't kill herself."

"So how did the story about suicide come to be?" Yasuhara asked rhetorically. "First, there's that suicide note left by Rosette Aoi which is clearly weird. Second, the school buried this reports so that the school's reputation wouldn't be tarnished by a killing incident."

"Because suicide is much better than murder." Matsuzaki-san said while rolling her eyes. "So does that mean that there's a third party?"

"Probably."

"But then," Takigawa-san started. "How did the letter with Rosette Aoi's handwriting came to be? Was it fabricated or was it written by Aoi herself while being threatened by the killer?"

"That's what I thought as well." Yasuhara replied. "But that would make the killer a sloppy one. Why leave a suicide note when you're just going to kill your victims with a smack on the head?"

I stopped typing when I heard Yasuhara said that last bit. I guess the killer planned everything ahead but it all unraveled during the scene itself when the killer was overpowered by the victim. The killer was supposed to drown the victim down the lake but instead, the killer lost control and hit the victim.

"Lin and I will investigate about the supposed third party inside the archives." Naru spoke after a few moments. "Yasuhara, go to the computer room and investigate there, Takigawa-san will accompany you. Someone should monitor the screens and the rest,"

Naru paused, probably thinking what the others should do. "Just, rest."

I tried not to snicker at how Naru failed at the end of his speech but I guess some of us do not have a filter. The other SPR members began chuckling but were immediately shut off when Naru glared at them.

"Lin, let's go." Naru said as he turned to leave the room. I closed my laptop and followed suit.

I did not speak during the entire walk towards the library since I knew that Naru won't appreciate it, especially with what I've seen previously.

When we arrived at the library, the silence still surrounds us. I know Naru won't break it as he already engrossed himself with reading the reports and looking around at the pictures. I don't want to be the one to break it but the curiosity is eating me and I wanted to know if there's actually a possibility that Mai would be snatch up from me.

Not that Mai is mine.

But I wanted to know if Naru actually felt something towards Mai.

"Naru," I suddenly exhaled, that I'm not really sure if it was actually audible but I guess it was. Naru looked at me with a resigned face that says he knew what I was going to ask. "About last time, what was," I trailed off, not really wanting to continue.

Naru raised his eyebrow as if asking me if I was actually serious. "Isn't it obvious?"

I sighed, releasing all the air inside my lungs that seemed to be stuck there due to the anticipation. "So you like her." I stated.

Naru didn't answer but he just flipped another page from the record he's holding. "Then why did you break her heart three years ago?"

Naru inhaled deeply and dropped the record he's been holding to the table. He looked at me and his eyes were pleading me to drop the topic but I know that this has to end right now. I think he got the message when he took a chair and sat down.

"The reason?" Naru chuckled humorlessly. "Because I'm an idiot and I can't believe that someone might actually like me."

I didn't respond to that since I knew that he could really be insensitive when it comes to himself. He always thinks that no one would like him for him because of his attitude and that everyone that knew them, the twins, would instantly like Gene instead of him.

And that's what he thought when Mai confessed to him.

Naru probably thought that because Mai had met Gene in her dreams that she fell for the kind, warm-hearted twin instead of this cold, stoic man. But I knew, from what I've seen, that what Mai felt for Naru was real and that Mai liked Naru because she knew that behind those cold façade, there's actually a kind man that would do anything for the one he loved.

And Naru made the biggest mistake thinking that way.

He let the most perfect girl in the world experience her first heartbreak.

"So," I spoke after a few moments. "Are you going to pursue her now?"

The thought that Naru would actually pursue Mai broke my heart. I knew that Mai still has feelings for Naru. I heard her dream of Naru right after I came back from England and Naru's name coming out of her lips felt like it would break me to half.

"I thought I'm the only idiot here." Naru smirked at me and waved me off. "No I won't. That girl is already in love with someone else, with another idiot if I may say, and I'm not cruel enough to stir her up."

I knew he was talking about me. I was actually surprised to hear what he just said. "I don't think so."

"See. Another idiot." Naru stood and picked up the record he's holding awhile ago. "For an ancient man, you sure are dense."

"I'm not that old."

"Tell that to Mai."

I knew, without actually seeing it, that I have a huge smile decorating my face. Lucky for me that Naru is facing his back towards me.

I began shuffling through the old photos with a curve on my lips. I knew Naru would roll his eyes if he saw me this way.

"Lin." I looked up to see Naru staring down at a year book on the table. "Look at this."

I stood up and walked towards his side. Naru flipped the pages to and fro as if checking a similarity from one picture to another.

"This is the yearbook a year before the incident." Naru pushed the yearbook towards me. "Look at the picture at the bottom of the page."

I turned my gaze towards the picture that Naru is talking about. It was a picture of a man and a woman laughing together in front of a blackboard. It seems like it is a candid shot since both person are not looking at the camera.

"Seno Ichikawa." I muttered. The man was Seno Ichikawa and the woman must be a co-teacher.

"Yes." Naru said and flipped the yearbook to another page. "Now look at all this pictures. Notice how Seno and the woman from the other picture are always together?"

Naru was right. Even on the group pictures, Seno Ichikawa and the woman are always together, sometimes with his arms around the woman's shoulders. I flipped the yearbook back to the previous page and looked at the picture from before.

"Seno Ichikawa and Haruka Shimizu." I muttered as I read the description below the picture.

"There's no harm done investigating her."

* * *

End of chapter 13

sooo... what do you think? hahahaha and about that bit when Mai hugged Lin :D

I admit i'm having a bit trouble about the relationship between Lin and Mai. I don't know how will I write it because obviously, those two likes each other and are just afraid to admit it -3-

anyway, hope you liked it! Thank you for reading! :***


	15. Chapter 14 - Mai

Hi! Here's chapter 14 :) Hope you like it!

* * *

Chapter 14 – Mai

"Who's the most amazing person in the world?" Yasuhara greeted as he entered the room. He's leaning against the doorframe of the base and holding up a piece of paper. He's waving the piece of paper as if he's baiting someone with it.

I rolled my eyes at him and went back to monitoring the screens. I'm sure he'll hear it from Naru.

"Me." Naru said and I spluttered the tea I was drinking due to surprise. I gawked at Naru who's reading something from his notebook and didn't even glance up as he said 'Me' earlier. "Now could you please stop playing around and tell us what you found out?"

Naru sighed and looked at Yasuhara who's laughing his head off. He snapped his notebook close and glared at the other SPR members who seemed to join laughing. Even Lin couldn't help but snicker behind his laptop.

"I give up." Yasuhara raised both hands as if he's surrendering. "You're really surprising."

"And I'm sure you're saying 'in a good way'" Naru added after Yasuhara spoke. "Now start."

With one last chuckle, Yasuhara composed himself and started reporting what he found out. "Well you told me to investigate this Haruka Shimizu and well, obviously, she's a teacher here 20 years ago. Suspiciously, she resigned 2 years after the incident with Seno and Rosette."

Yasuhara paused and went to get his phone out of his back pocket. "And since I'm the second most amazing person in the world," That earned him a few snickers from us. "I e-mailed the teacher slash a student here 20 years ago and asked what she knew about Haruka Shimizu. Guess what?" Yasuhara scrolled around in his phone probably looking for the teacher's reply.

"This is what she said: _'Shimizu-sensei and Ichikawa-sensei are always together. They were actually called by some students the perfect couple. I heard that they are actually lovers but those stories immediately vanished when it was replaced by rumors of Aoi and Ichikawa-sensei's relationship.'_" Yasuhara looked at us after he finished reading the e-mail. "That's all."

Naru hummed in approval as he put on his thinking pose. "Were you able to get Haruka Shimizu's address?"

Yasuhara rolled his eyes. "Who do you think you're talking to? Of course I did." He gave Naru the piece of paper he's holding earlier. "That's around half an hour drive from here."

"Good." Naru nodded. "Me, Mai, Lin, and Yasuhara will go to Haruka Shimizu tomorrow. The rest of you monitor the base."

* * *

"I'm telling you," Yasuhara pressed. "Professor Chocolate Chip is the best Philosophy professor."

I shook my head in disapproval. "Our Professor Cookie Dough is the best. He has mastered all branches of Philosophy."

"And professor Chocolate Chip–"

"I don't care if those professors of yours are real or what their nationality are," Naru said, interrupting Yasuhara. "Will you shut up? We're here."

Yasuhara and I snickered as Naru climbed out of the car. Obviously, Yasuhara and I were just playing around, trying to tick Naru off. I guessed it kind of worked.

We've been chatting non-stop about silly things and giving people worst or hilarious names. Yasuhara and I would snicker every now and then whenever Naru seemed to be annoyed or popping a nerve.

Someone patted me in the head after I climbed out of the car. I looked up and saw Lin smiling at me, an amused glint present in his eyes. "You and Yasuhara are hilarious. It perfectly annoyed Naru off." Lin chuckled, the sound ringing like bells in my ears. It sounds so beautiful.

I remembered what I did yesterday, when I hugged Lin instinctively after we arrived at the school. I even said 'I miss you'. I don't know where I got the courage to do so but after what happened, my heart won't stop pounding.

I love the way his body perfectly fits mine.

It felt like we were two puzzles that perfectly complete each other. And that moment when I enclosed my arms around his waist, I thought my heart jumped out of my chest.

Oh my god Mai! What am I thinking? Am I actually fantasizing about Lin in a stranger's yard?

Snapping out of my own world, I saw Lin walking towards the front door of the house where Yasuhara was talking to a middle-aged lady. I followed suit, keeping my eyes trained on the lady who looked really pretty for her age.

"Come in." I heard the lady said. Naru and Yasuhara entered the house and Lin gestured for me to follow. I quickly jogged and followed them inside, closing the door as I enter the house.

"That's Haruka Shimizu." Lin whispered in my ears. I shivered when I felt his breathe in my ear and embarrassingly, Lin noticed it. I quickly covered it up by mouthing 'I'm cold' which was quite idiotic even for me.

Since it's freaking summer.

I could tell from his eyes that he's amused and I just wanted to slap myself right there and then.

"So what brings you here in my humble abode?" Haruka Shimizu smiled warmly at us.

I sat on the sofa beside Yasuhara, trying to get some space between Lin and I since I'm sure that I'll be just embarrassing myself again.

We were at the living room of Haruka Shimizu. It actually looks quaint and looked as if she was the only one living here. From the photos hanged on the walls and the on the table tops, it seems like she's not married.

"As we've said earlier Shimizu-san," Yasuhara explained. "We're investigating the incidents that happened in the lake of the Sacred Heart. We found out that,"

Yasuhara paused, searching for the right words.

"Rosette Aoi and Seno Ichikawa were murdered." Naru continued for Yasuhara.

Surprisingly, or not, Haruka Shimizu didn't look shocked, instead, she sighed in resignation. "I thought so, especially with the way the rumor about the two's suicide suddenly exploded. So?" Shimizu-san raised his brows and looked at us. "You're thinking it's me."

There's neither panic nor a slight tremble in her voice. It's not a question. She stated it as if she already knew what we're thinking, and she's right.

"I won't deny it and say that you're not on our very short list of suspects." Naru spoke. He looked at Shimizu-san straight in the eyes, unwavering. "But, we wanted to hear your side."

Shimizu-san sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them after a few moments, her once calm demeanor turned into a sorrowful one. You could see from her eyes the sadness that she must've kept for the very long time. "Then please hear the real story."

Shimizu-san breathed in a lungful of air and started. "Seno Ichikawa was my lover."

No one looked surprised from the revelation. Everyone must have suspected as much.

"One day, Seno told me about this girl that was being bullied. He said that he admire the girl because she does not look a bit affected by others. He asked me what he should do. I told him to approach her and talk to her and that that's what she needed the most right now."

"The girl was Rosette Aoi, the scholarship student who's very good at painting. Seno would always talk to her and the two became friends. They became so close that he even gave her an art key chain for her birthday." Shimizu-san laughed at the end, as if remembering something funny from that time.

"I know that there's nothing more. From the way Seno talks about Rosette, he treated her as the sister he never had. But I knew that Rosette likes Seno. I didn't do anything because I trust him, even when rumors about them started."

Shimizu-san looked at each one of us, her eyes telling us how much she loved Seno Ichikawa. "I love Seno and I trust him. I might not be fond of Rosette since I never liked the way she smiles, and she's not actually the greatest person when we're alone but it's not enough to kill someone. I didn't harbor any hatred at her, at all, well indifference probably, but I quite empathized with her since we're both raised by single mothers."

* * *

"So that's quite a revelation." Ayako said after we explained what Shimizu-san said.

"Yup." I sighed and stretched my arms upward. "Next time, we'll know that Rosette Aoi isn't actually her real name." I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

"Lin." Naru immediately stood up from his chair and looked at me as if I was the one that created the world. "Search about Rosette Aoi's father."

Then it dawned to me, the possibility that Rosette Aoi isn't really her real name.

"Naru!" Lin spoke staring incredulously at the screen of his laptop. He looked at Naru, frowning. "You've got to see this."

* * *

End of Chapter 14

Thank you for reading :) Leave a review and let me know what you think :) I'm quite new to writing here so I don't really know how to reply to some of your reviews but I'll ask my friend how to xD hahaha

Anyways, have a good day! (or night)


	16. Chapter 15 - Lin

First of all, some information written in this chapter are not true. I mean, I tried researching about it but in the end, I decided to write my own 'information' or 'facts'. I can't really explain it that well but I hope you were able to understand it xD I'm not really good at this hahaha

This chapter is quite short and it probably won't answer all your questions about the case but... that's where the next chapter enters hahaha yay! :D Actually, I'm still working on the chapter outlines but, I'll do my best! :)) (Although I think there aren't that many chapters left, sadly)

Thank you for reading my little ramble :)

Here's chapter 15! Hope you'll like it :)

* * *

Chapter 15 – Lin

"Hirohito Kawai" Naru muttered as he read what was on the screen.

"Kawai?" Matsuzaki-san said, her voice laced with confusion. "That's not our girl's last name."

"Well it's not weird for someone to change their surname after a father's death before." Takigawa-san spoke. "Especially if the cause of death is something that may be called 'shameful'." He ended, putting an emphasis on the word 'shameful'.

That's true. There are a lot of families that change their surname, but as I read that little information placed on my laptop screen, I truly wondered why Rosette Aoi did. There's nothing really 'shameful' about her father's death.

"Car accident." I read from the screen. I looked at Takigawa-san then to Naru. "There's nothing wrong with getting into a car accident."

"That's true." Takigawa-san replied, placing his hand below his chin.

The rest of the SPR team continued to speak. I scrolled down the screen looking for some vital information. The information about Hirohito Kawai is limited since he died more than 20 years ago and the information placed here are mostly the common ones.

I clicked through his medical records and went through it. What I saw made everything clear. That little information put the pieces together and created the perfect picture of this case.

"Naru." The way I said the name seemed to release all the air inside my lungs. "Hirohito Kawai is schizophrenic."

The last bit of what I said made Naru widen his eyes and gleam with realization. He immediately stood up and went towards me. "Lin, look for Rosette Aoi's medical records."

"What just happened?" Mai asked as she looked at Naru and me with a confused expression. "You look as if you already solved the case."

Naru explained it to the SPR members as I look for Rosette Aoi's medical records. "Schizophrenia is a mental disorder." Naru started, walking back towards the empty chair near the monitors. He sat down and continued. "It is often characterized by the failure to recognize what is real from what is not."

"Then what is Rosette Aoi's relation to it?" Mai asked.

Naru drank from his tea cup and rolled his eyes. "Didn't you learn this from high school?"

"Well sorry for being an idiot!" Mai crossed her arms and glared at Naru.

Sighing, Naru placed the tea cup on the table beside him. "Genetics can contribute to Schizophrenia. Obviously, since they are father and daughter, it wouldn't be weird if Rosette Aoi is also schizophrenic."

The realization seemed to dawn on Mai and to the other SPR members since they all looked wide-eyed. Probably, they are already connecting the pieces of information that we have.

"There's nothing Naru." I said after I searched for Rosette Aoi's medical records. Her medical records are clean and there's no sign of her being a schizophrenic.

Naru placed his hand below his chin, contemplating about something. I stared at the monitor in front of me, thinking of something that I probably missed. It's possible that Rosette Aoi didn't develop hers.

Then I remembered Hirohito Kawai.

What if her records are named under 'Rosette Kawai', her previous name?

I immediately typed in 'Rosette Kawai' hoping that I could find something about her. I may not find anything under Rosette Aoi but I'm sure I will find something about Rosette Kawai.

And surely, I did.

All our speculations are true. Rosette Kawai was diagnosed to have Schizophrenia and is under Antipsychotic medication. Meaning, she's already experiencing delusions and hallucinations.

But why at such a young age?

Rosette Aoi is probably around 16 or 17 when she died. That means she developed her schizophrenia at a younger age. That doesn't usually happen.

"Rosette Aoi is not schizophrenic but Rosette Kawai is." I said after I gathered my thoughts. "She was already experiencing delusions and hallucinations at a young age probably because of genetics and the environment she grew up in."

But just what kind of environment did she have to be under antipsychotic medication at such a young age? And how can she attend the school normally after her mother died?

"Now we already have our answer." Naru stood up from his chair. "There's no suicide or third-party." He waved off his hands. "All the information we gathered are clear now. Rosette Aoi or Kawai killed Seno Ichikawa and right now, she's still full of anger."

Naru crossed his arms in front of his chest. "She's probably angry at the school, at Haruka Shimizu, and at Seno Ichikawa."

The room was enveloped with silence after Naru ended his little speech. Everyone was looking down and contemplating what must've happened between Ichikawa and Aoi for Aoi to hate him that much.

Now it's clear why Seno Ichikawa attacked Hara-san who looked a lot like Rosette Aoi.

Everyone was surprised when Mai suddenly stood up with a gasped. She must have realized something. "Then when I saw Seno Ichikawa," Mai looked at Naru, realization gleaming in her eyes. This was the first time I heard Mai seeing Seno Ichikawa and it truly piqued my attention. "He wasn't saying 'O' and 'E', he must have been saying 'Rosette'. The way the mouth forms is similar after all!"

"You just thought of it now?" Naru raised his eyebrow at her.

"Why didn't you tell me if you knew?" Naru just shrugged in reply.

Mai scratched her head in frustration. "Why didn't I think of it?"

Naru rolled his eyes at the frustrated Mai but clearly, you could see the amusement in his eyes.

Whipped idiotic scientist.

I felt something pierce in my chest. Mai told Naru about seeing Seno Ichikawa but didn't mention a thing to me. I know this isn't the right time, but I couldn't help but feel a little jealous at the thought.

Naru cleared his throat. "If we could only get Junpei Kazuki to admit that who he saw that night was Rosette Aoi, then there would be no more doubts."

"Didn't Junpei-kun say that he didn't see the face of the spirit?" Mai asked, confused. "His face looks like he's not lying."

"That's the point. Junpei Kazuki is a great actor."

Mai seemed confused at what Naru said. She got a little crease in her forehead. Suddenly, her mouth formed a small 'o' probably because she already understood it.

* * *

End of Chapter 15

Thank you for reading!


	17. Chapter 16 - Mai

hi! I know this is a bit late. I wasn't able to upload the chapter since it's raining pretty hard and because of it, we lost our wifi connection. Sucks. But luckily, was able to download a lot of fics before so... I finished most of them. Yay!

This chapter is quite short. Yup. Very short. But i'll try and upload another chapter within the week :) ... oh god! The case is almost done! A few more chapters and we'll get to see some lin and mai action... hahahaha *laughs* just kidding... or not?

Here's chapter 16! Hope you'll like it :)

* * *

Chapter 16 – Mai

"Sent!"

I plopped down on the bed and tossed my phone somewhere around it. My eyes wandered above, on the ceiling, as I remembered what happened since the start of the case until now that we're almost done with it.

The end was unexpected.

Although deep inside, I know that what, or rather who, we are looking for is someone that we'll never suspect.

And it turned out to be true.

"Sent?" Ayako asked. She was brushing her hair in front of the small mirror hanged on the wall. "What did you send?"

"Ah, nothing." I waved off. "Just some org stuff."

Masako came out of the bathroom wearing another kimono, probably for sleeping, and went straight to her bed. "Isn't it great?" Masako sat down on her bed. "We finally solved the case."

"Yup." I said, popping the 'p' at the end. "If only we can finally exorcise it." I sighed.

Ayako walked to her bed, which was beside mine, and went to get comfortable under the blanket. "You two stop chattering and go to sleep. We'll surely have a long day tomorrow."

Both Masako and I replied yes. My eyes are heavily lidded with sleep that even moving to cover myself with a blanket is not possible. Soon, I felt myself falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

"_Happy birthday Rosette!"_

_I immediately turned around as I heard the voice. Not surprisingly, I found myself staring at the figure of Rosette and Seno. _

"_Thank you Seno-sensei!" Rosette chirped as she received a small box from Seno. Her eyes are gleamed with delight and a huge smile decorated her face. _

_Rosette opened the box and a beautiful square keychain lay on top of a white cushion. The keychain held a small square with a print of a painting._

"_The Scream." Rosette exhaled as she picked the keychain up from the box. She looked lovingly at the painting from the keychain. "Edvard Munch."_

"_Well yeah. I know that's not really what a person should give to a young lady like you but," Seno scratched his head as he spoke. "I remembered how you won't stop talking about that painting and it felt like you adore it so much."_

"_Yes I do. It feels like this painting and I have a connection." Rosette smiled and Seno actually looked confused. "I love it. Thank you." Rosette hugged the keychain close to her chest and smiled at it._

_Everything turned to black and Rosette and Seno are gone. I looked around frantically and searched for them when suddenly, a new scene unfold before my eyes._

_It was a scene where Seno and Haruka are hugging inside an empty classroom, the sunset streamed inside from the windows. It seemed like everything was normal._

_But Rosette Aoi was there, looking from the door of the classroom._

_The two couldn't see her but Rosette can clearly see what the two are doing. She tightened her hold on the keychain that she's holding in her hand. _

_A shiver ran down my spine when I saw her expression. It was borderline murderous._

_The scene changed and instead of standing in front of the classroom door, Rosette is now in front of her painting, the keychain gone from her hands._

_She walked towards an empty desk inside the art room and sat down, a piece of paper and a pen in front of her._

_She began writing something and her earlier murderous expression turned into a laughing one. She's smiling from ear to ear as she wrote something on the paper. _

_Her smile made me uneasy._

"_We both love each other."_

"_We'll be together forever."_

_She repeated those sentences as she writes on the piece of paper. I found myself stepping backwards, away from the scene in front of me._

_The scene once again changed and now, I'm standing in front of the lake with Rosette and Seno._

"_What happened?" Seno took a step towards the crying Rosette, worry evident in his face. "Why did you call? I got worried when I heard over the telephone that you're crying."_

"_I just," Rosette broke off. Seno immediately went beside Rosette to comfort her. "It's my mom's death anniversary and I can't help but cry." She looked at Seno and hugged him. "I miss her, my mom."_

_Rosette cried in Seno's chest and Seno reluctantly hugged the girl, rubbing her back to comfort her. After a few moments, Rosette broke off from Seno's arms and looked at him straight in the eyes. "Why did you betray me?" _

_Confusion enveloped Seno's face. Suddenly, Rosette grasped Seno's neck, strangling him. _

"_Why did you betray me? I thought you love me!" Rosette shouted while strangling the gasping Seno. "Why did you let that witch come between us?"_

_Seno pushed Rosette hard and was able to throw her off. Rosette bumped her head on one of the stones near the lake as she fell on the ground. _

"_What the hell are you talking about? What love?" Seno shouted to Rosette. Her head was bleeding and her eyes murderously looking at Seno. "The only thing I felt for you is pity!"_

_Seno turned his back and started to jog away from Rosette. As he jogs away, he didn't see Rosette standing up and picking a pretty huge rock. _

"_Look out!" I shouted when I saw Rosette going straight towards Seno and hitting him in the head using the rock. Seno fell on the ground, unconscious._

_I stared wide-eyed at what was happening in front of me. I know I'm witnessing the murder of Seno and I know that I wouldn't be able to do anything about what I'm currently watching._

_Rosette dropped to her knees in front of Seno's unconscious body. "I did it for us."_

_Rosette started pushing Seno's body towards the lake. His body is now covered with dust and mud. _

_Rosette was able to push Seno until the edge of the lake. "Goodbye." Rosette whispered to his unconscious body. Seno woke up and saw Rosette pushing him towards the lake. Before he fell, he grasped Rosette's arm. "If I'm going to hell, I'm dragging you with me."_

_Rosette smiled at him and replied, "Oh, I plan to."_

* * *

I woke up panting and sweating. The dying faces of Seno and Rosette still fresh from my mind. I grasped my chest as I struggle to catch my breath.

"Why did she have to?" I whispered to myself as I remembered Rosette falling together with Seno. I sat up and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. I noticed the blanket covering me; Ayako was probably the one who placed it on me.

I turned to lie down again when the red blinking caught my eye.

It was my phone.

I have a new mail.

I immediately dove for it and open my inbox.

There it is, the reply of Junpei-kun.

It was one worded.

I found myself widening my eyes as I read his one worded reply.

* * *

End of Chapter 16

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it :) Sooo... what do you think about the back story? Let me know :))


	18. Chapter 17 - Lin

Hi! So here's another chapter as I've promised last time :) Sorry for the cliffhanger last chapter xP I thought, hey! Since I have no social life and I only laze around reading fanfictions and watching anime, why don't I write.. then yeah... I started writing another fic :'( I just hate how ideas suddenly popped out and I can't help but write it... Anyway, since I really have no plans for summer vacation (huhu), expect that I'll be updating in the middle of the week :D yay!

Here's chapter 17! Hope you'll like it :)

* * *

Chapter 17 – Lin

"Lin! Naru!"

Mai burst inside the base, panting. She's holding on to the frame of the door as if her life depends on it. She's gasping very hard, probably because she ran straight to here.

"What is it?" Naru raised his eyebrow at Mai's figure. He was sitting on the sofa with his notebook in his hand and a cup of tea in front of him. "It's not yet dawn and you're already shouting like a madman."

"I–" Mai gasped, unable to form words. Seeing Mai's disheveled figure, I offered her some water. She gladly gulped it all down in a second and muttered 'thanks' to me.

"Here." She placed her phone on the table. Naru picked it up and I immediately went beside him to look at what Mai wanted to show.

It was a mail.

From Junpei Kazuki.

From the mail, Mai sent a picture of Rosette Aoi with the message: _"Junpei-kun, I have this one request to you. I just need to know if this is the girl that dragged Shizuka-san down the lake."_

And his reply was unexpected yet his answer was what we expected.

He answered yes.

"This is amazing Mai." I smiled at her. She has already calmed herself and was smiling from ear to ear. "Now we're already sure that it's really Rosette Aoi."

"We already knew this piece of information." Naru tossed Mai's phone back on the table which earned him a glare from Mai. "What we need to know is how we can exorcise her."

Yes, it's true. Naru and I stayed up late to find out how we can exorcise Rosette Aoi even though we're only 80% sure that it's her. Like in the case of the Doll House, we need to give the spirit what she wanted so she can move on.

"Then what should we do?" Mai asked with confusion evident in her face.

"Tell the school that the lake is cursed." Naru shrugged and took a sip from his tea. "No one will go there anymore."

"But that's absurd!" Mai slammed her hands on the table and stared incredulously at Naru. "How about the other spirits who wanted to move on? Can't you think of something?"

"It's not like we stayed up until now just to drink tea." Naru rolled his eyes at Mai. "Of course we've been thinking about how we can exorcise her. There's nothing we can do."

"Of course there's something we can do!" Mai exclaimed.

I sighed. Mai is getting worked up and Naru is feeling crankier than before due to lack of sleep. These two will wake up the whole country with their bickering.

"Earthbound spirits are those spirits that died because of murder, suicide, or other causes of sudden deaths." I explained, getting Mai's attention. I gestured for her to sit on the sofa and she followed, sitting beside me on the larger one. Giving in to an impulse, I began rubbing small circles at the back of her hand to calm her down.

And it seemed to work.

Mai calmed down a little, silently listening to me. The skin on the back of her hand feels smooth and I had the urge to just up and hold her hand.

Naru raised an eyebrow at the sight but didn't say anything.

I continued explaining. "They can usually be exorcised or move on if they are able to get or accomplish something that ties them here."

Mai's eyes widen in realization. "So Rosette Aoi probably has an unfinished business?"

Naru hummed in reply. "We have no idea what Aoi wants, especially now that we know that she's not mentally stable, we're more at loss."

"What she wants?" Mai repeated.

"Or something precious to her." Naru added, looking dejectedly at his now empty teacup.

"Or something precious." Mai repeated again.

Naru glared at Mai, who was currently staring blankly at my hand that's holding onto hers, and snap his fingers at her face. "If you're done daydreaming, get me another cup of tea."

Mai mumbled a yes, still looking out of it, and stood up to prepare tea. I stared at her as she walked towards the back of the base where the electric kettle and the tea are.

I snapped out of my trance and stood up to go back to my laptop when I saw Naru staring at me with a smirk on his face.

"Idiotic couple." Naru whispered to himself and went back to reading something in his notebook. He knew well that I heard it very clear. I just rolled my eyes at him and walked away.

* * *

End of Chapter 17

Thank you for reading! I'm having mixed feelings about ending this story.. This is the first time I finished one (well almost). There are only a few more chapters left (about 5 or 6 I think). I hope you continue reading until the end! :) I'm really happy that you guys actually read and loved my story... It meant so much to me :D


	19. Chapter 18 - Mai

Hi everyone! Umm, I have a small favor to all of you.. could you please visit this link **[ b i t.l y (slash) AVMC03 ] **(can't post the proper link.. it's being erased) (it's a youtube video) and watch it for a few minutes and hit the thumbs up / like button. It's actually a contest about a convention here in our country. Your likes are very much appreciated. THANK YOU SO MUCH. The link can also be found on my profile :) (the voting period will end tomorrow, and sadly, we're far from winning D:) You can also spread the word to your friends and family :)

Here's chapter 18! Hope you'll enjoy it!

* * *

Chapter 18 – Mai

Something precious, but what could it be?

Morning came after I told Naru and Lin about Junpei-kun's reply. I was not able to sleep after that so I just decided to wreck my brain with thoughts about exorcising the spirits in the lake.

When the rest of the SPR team came, Lin explained what we talked about earlier. Lin looked fresh despite not being able to sleep while Naru is being an annoying ass right now.

No one dared to speak to him.

Right now, all of the SPR team is present inside the base. We're all thinking about the case with tea cups in front of us.

Thinking about it, as far as I remember, Rosette Aoi looked really happy when she's with Seno Ichikawa. If this is so, Seno Ichikawa would be precious for her then, that 'something/someone precious' must be related to Seno Ichikawa.

"How about the painting?" Bou-san suggested. He's sitting on the sofa with his arms above the headrest. "She's always there right? Must be precious to her."

Naru closed his notebook with a snap, catching our attention. This would be the first time he will participate in our discussion today. "I've thought about it as well, but no." Naru picked the tea cup in front of him and took a sip, all of us waiting silently for his explanation. "If it is the painting, why won't she just move on? Why linger around it? The painting is in her grasps already."

We all silently took in what Naru said. He actually has a point there. If it is the painting, she can already move on since it's already right in front of her.

"Probably," Lin interjected. "It's not the painting but something in it."

"Something in the painting." I mumbled to myself.

Vocalizing it made me remember my dream. The keychain she's always holding disappeared from her hands during the scene when she's standing in front of the painting.

"What if it's the keychain?" I whispered to myself, thinking deeply about it.

"The keychain?" Naru asked. He probably heard what I just whispered. "Are you talking about the keychain Haruka Shimizu mentioned?"

"Yes." I replied, fiddling with my fingers. "I actually dreamt about it."

"For real Jou-chan?" Bou-san leaned in towards me. "Another one of Mai Taniyama's prophetic dreams!"

"It's not a prophetic dream." I rolled my eyes at him. "I just dreamt about Rosette Aoi receiving a gift, which was a keychain, from Seno Ichikawa. Then she saw Seno and Haruka-san hugging inside an empty classroom, with the keychain in Aoi's hands. The next thing I saw was Aoi standing in front of the painting without the keychain from her hands."

I ended my little dream reminiscing. "Lin," Naru spoke. "Bring here the painting."

"Sure." Lin nodded and stood up from his seat. I look at him and smiled. Before he left, he did something that made me blush profusely.

He ruffled my hair.

In front of the other SPR members.

Luckily, no one was really paying attention to us, well except Naru who saw the little exchange. He raised his eyebrow. "Your dream?"

I don't know if he was teasing me with his question but I blushed either way.

"Uh," I stuttered. "Yeah."

Inhaling deeply, I continued. "After that, Rosette made their suicide letter. I think she thought she could kill Seno like it was a suicide incident but she failed. When they met in front of the lake, Rosette strangled him but he was able to throw her off, which resulted to a wound in her forehead. When Rosette was able to recover, she hit Seno in the head with a rock and pushed him of the lake."

"Then how did Rosette died?" Yasuhara asked from beside bou-san.

"Well, she was dragged by Seno when he fell." I looked down to my hands, trying to erase the picture in my mind. "I think all along, she plan to die with him."

Those were the last words uttered before Lin arrived with the painting at hand.

We removed our tea cups from the table in front of the sofa for Lin to place the painting there. Looking at it closely, the meaning why Rosette used the impasto was clear now.

She wanted to express her unstableness and her wavering feelings.

I turned the painting over, the rest of the SPR team looking as I did so. I examined its back and I saw a piece of cloth or paper taped at the very bottom of the painting.

Slowly, I removed it.

"Mai!" Ayako gasped when we saw what was inside the paper.

Safely tucked between the paper and the painting was the keychain.

"Good job Mai!" Yasuhara ruffled my hair, laughing as if I won a lottery.

* * *

Lin, Yasuhara, and I were left here in the base while the others went to the lake to exorcise the spirits. They brought with them a camera and microphone to record what will happen during the exorcism.

"Lin, here." I placed the tea cup in front of Lin. I sat beside him in front of the screens to monitor what will happen.

"I'll just," Yasuhara spoke, catching our attention. "Go back to the rooms to get something."

"It's alright." Lin replied and went back to monitoring the screens.

Before Yasuhara left, he winked at me and mouthed, 'Good luck'.

That bastard.

Does he think watching the others exorcise spirits is some date or anything?

"Mai?"

"Ah yes?" I snapped back when I heard Lin speak. I shouldn't think about those things right now.

"John is starting the exorcism." I returned my attention to the scene and saw John opening his bible.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word was God." John recited from the Bible as he splash some holy water on the lake. "He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."

"Mai, look." Lin pointed at the screen in the middle. "The spirits are starting to show."

It's true, the spirits are becoming visible. I've seen spirits too many times before but I still couldn't get used to the sight. I didn't notice that I was trembling until I felt Lin hold my hand.

Our hands intertwined on top of the table.

I took a lingering look at it and returned my attention to the exorcism.

Bou-san raised the keychain where Rosette could see it. A few moments later, Rosette was gazing at it, moving towards where bou-san is.

Bou-san threw it at her and then light.

There was only light.

* * *

End of Chapter 18

Again, please like the link found at the start of the chapter :)

Thank you for reading! :)


	20. Chapter 19 - Lin

Here's chapter 19! Hope you like it!

This chapter is quite short.. sorry :( but I'll try to update soon! :D

* * *

Chapter 19 – Lin

"That's the last one right?" Yasuhara-san said after placing the last monitor inside the van.

"Yes." I slammed the door close.

We're finally finished with the case here.

Yesterday, we've successfully exorcised the spirits in the lake. We reported everything to the current headmaster about the case and to say that they were surprised by some of the information was an understatement.

They were glad that everything's done now and that they could finally get the politician's wife off of their backs.

Mai sighed from beside me. She's looking at the building with a sad expression. "Probably almost all high school students dreamt of studying here." She looked at me after she spoke. "Even me."

"But, I don't regret studying at my old high school." Smiling, she continued. "Because if not, you wouldn't have save me from a falling bookshelf and I wouldn't have met you."

Mai immediately slapped her hand to her mouth and blushed profusely. If I wasn't too amused at her expression, I would probably be blushing as well.

"We-well, because I get to be part of the SPR team." She stammered. "Le-let's go! Naru's probably waiting."

Mai ran towards the back seat of the van. I stared at her retreating figure, pleased to know her little revelation. Joy was swelling deep in my heart and it felt like I couldn't breathe because I'm scared that I might wake up and know that this was just a dream.

Mai had this reaction to me with just those little words.

"What are you grinning about?" Naru stood in front of me, looking disgusted. "You look stupid."

"Nothing you should worry about." I smiled at him, too happy for him to dampen my mood.

Naru just rolled his eyes and we went to get inside the van. I sat on the driver seat with Naru on the passenger side. Mai and Hara-san sat behind us, chattering lowly about something.

With a last parting look at the building, I pulled out of the school grounds.

* * *

The van is filled with silence except the low chatter between Mai and Hara-san. Naru was silently reading a book while I concentrate my gaze on the road, sometimes hearing a bit from the two ladies.

"Why did you think that the keychain will make Rosette Aoi move on?" Hara-san wondered, quite louder than her previous volume.

"Well, when I saw her receive it from Seno, it felt like he gave her the world." She stated, mumbling the last bit. "I probably don't make sense but at that moment, I felt sure that Rosette truly loved Seno."

"And the most important thing that you can receive is probably a gift from someone you love." Mai ended.

Hara-san nodded at Mai's explanation and spoke, "That must be why she chose to die with him." She looked at Mai, looking expectantly at her. "Right?"

"Well yes." Mai looked down, a longing look present in her face. "When I saw my dream, I was so sure that despite Rosette's 'unstableness', she truly loved Seno, but probably, she loved him a bit too much or her love was placed in a wrong way."

Hara-san hummed in reply. "You sound like you're an expert when it comes to love." Hara-san teased. "Have you been in love Mai?"

I saw Mai blush on the rearview mirror, her face red like a tomato.

"Masako!" she hissed. She looked quite frantic and I can't help but be amused at her expression. Our eyes met at the rearview mirror and I offered her a small smile.

I know she already fell in love.

And too bad it's not with me.

Although the person she's in love with exerts that she has feelings for me, I can't help but think otherwise. I don't want to expect and break my heart in the end.

Even if she's worth breaking my heart a million times.

* * *

End of Chapter 19

Thank You for reading! :)


	21. Chapter 20 - Mai

Here's chapter 20! Hope you'll like it :)

There's only 3 chapters left and I'm feeling quite sentimental about it *laughs while crying*. I'm very very happy that you continued reading this till the end. There's only two weeks left for my summer vacation so I'm planning to end this within those days. I love you all! :D

* * *

Chapter 20 – Mai

"Mai, tea." Naru ordered for the nth time. He went back to his office along with some papers he got from the shelf.

"Tea addict narcissistic scientist." I muttered under my breath as I stood up from my desk to fix Naru his tea.

It's already Wednesday after we finished the case. I decided to return as an assistant to SPR until summer break ends, although I'll still probably work for SPR every now and then after our class resumes. Nothing really changed inside the office, except that we're three years older and that Naru asks for tea more frequently.

As I fix Naru's tea, Lin suddenly entered the kitchen with his tea cup on his hand. "Would you like another?" I smiled and reached for his cup.

"No thanks. I've had enough." Lin gave me his cup and leaned on the counter. "I don't know how Naru could drink all those tea."

"Same here." I said rolling my eyes. "He asks for tea for almost every half an hour."

Lin chuckled a little bit and stared at my hands as I prepare Naru's tea. "Mai," He started. "Are you free on Friday after work?"

I stopped what I was doing and looked at Lin. I didn't know if I heard it right, but was Lin asking if I'm free on Friday? "Yes, I think. I have no plans."

Lin seemed quite uncomfortable which is somewhat new. Lin always seemed confident and imposing. A few moments passed and Lin looked at me. "Would you like to have a dinner with me at the Chinese restaurant we went to before?"

I stared at him wide-eyed and I can't help but let my lips form a huge smile. "Because as you've said from your e-mail before," Lin rolled his eyes at the memory. "My way of inviting you before was quite disturbing."

I chuckled a little when he used the word 'disturbing'. "It wasn't disturbing, it was actually quite cute." I smirked when Lin stilled.

"You shouldn't call a man 'cute'. That's," he stopped, thinking of the right word.

"It's disturbing." I completed. "Calling you cute would be disturbing but you inviting me out, while being super nervous, is just sweet." I smiled when Lin looked away. If I didn't know better, I would think that he's angry at me.

"I'd love to." I looked down on my hands with a smile decorating my face. I would love to have more time with Lin.

If it's possible, I'd always be with him.

Wait? Where is this coming from Mai? What am I thinking?

"So on Friday then? After work?" Lin asked, confirming out little date.

"Yup."

Lin and I talked for a bit after that while I make Naru's tea. We talked about the cases that are just sent to us and a few questions were thrown here and there. After I finished preparing, Lin left and I brought the tea to Naru's office.

With me still sporting a smile.

Naru asked about why I'm being creepy and I just replied, "Nothing."

He looked suspiciously at the cup of tea in front of him and back to me. "Hey! I didn't spit on that if that's what you're thinking."

Naru rolled his eyes and took a sip on his tea. "I wasn't thinking about that."

I narrowed my eyes at him. His face says it all. "Well I'm just in a good mood. Gotta get back to my desk!" As I turned around to leave the room, Naru muttered something.

"Surely, it's because of Lin."

I suddenly turned around and looked at him disbelievingly. Did I hear it right? Does Naru know about my feelings for Lin?

"What?" Naru asked with a glare. "Go back to your desk and get some work done."

I nodded silently and left the room, leaning at the door after I closed it. "Was I that obvious?"

* * *

Friday came and I almost arrive late since I don't know what I'll wear for our dinner tonight. I usually don't care about what I'm wearing but when it comes to Lin, I wanted to look perfect.

Well not really perfect but at least pleasing to the eyes.

I wore a simple short sleeves blue floral dress. I was reluctant to wear it at first since it was quite out of character for me to wear one but in the end, I steeled myself and wore it.

I wanted to impress Lin after all.

Naru was on his way to the kitchen when he saw me enter the office. I suddenly blushed when his gaze wandered up and down to my frame, but my embarrassment turned into annoyance when he suddenly clicked his tongue and shook his head.

What does that mean?

I trudged towards my desk, moping at the way Naru clicked his tongue. What a great ego booster, thanks a lot Naru. What if Lin doesn't like it?

I slumped on my chair in an unladylike manner and began sorting though the mountain of papers Naru probably placed here. "Mai?" I immediately sat up straight when I heard the voice.

"Li-Lin!" I waved awkwardly at him. I don't know how I should act since I'm more conscious about Lin now.

But why?

"Good morning." Lin walked towards my desk with a little curve in his lips. I don't know why but he looked more handsome right now than before. I can't help but stare at him as he walked towards me. "Here's the Sacred Heart case file. Please sort it out as well."

I snapped out of it when he stopped in front of me. I could feel myself blush a bit. "Ah. Su-sure." I stuttered as I reached for the folder in Lin's hands.

"Thank you." Lin turned around and proceeded to walk towards his office. I can't help but stare at his retreating figure until someone cleared their throat.

"Are you done ogling my secretary?" Naru asked, leaning against the entryway of the kitchen with his eyebrow raised. I blushed immediately, embarrassed to be caught staring.

"It was a good view." I defended. Well it's true, although I probably wouldn't able to say that if Lin was here.

Naru rolled his eyes in reply and started walking towards his office. "Go start working. You have a date later."

My eyes widened at what he said. "How did you know?"

"Well the fact that Lin spent almost an hour in front of his closet trying to find the 'perfect suit'." Naru spoke, smirking at my blushing face. "Although his suits are almost identical."

Naru left for his office, leaving me slightly dumbfounded. I can't help but feel joy swell in my chest at the little revelation. I felt energized.

As I sort through the documents on my desk, I heard a small beep from my phone. I immediately checked what it was.

It's a mail. From Lin.

And what was written on the screen made me squeal a little and smile from ear to ear.

"_You look stunning in your dress"_

* * *

End Of Chapter 20

Thank you for reading!


	22. Chapter 21 - Lin

Here's chapter 21! Hope you like it :)

There's only two more chapters after this :(( I feel like crying... Honestly, this is the first time I actually (almost) finished a story and it's all because of your reviews and follows and favorites and support and love.. (I won't cry... now I'm crying) Seeing that notification mail from fanfic in my inbox never fails to brighten my day... as in I would suddenly squeal and jump around (much to my parents annoyance lol)

Thank you soooo much :)

* * *

Chapter 21 – Lin

As we were walking towards the Chinese restaurant, since I left my car in the office parking lot, I told Mai my stories when I was in university. Warmth spreads inside my chest every time I saw her laugh. She looked absolutely breathtaking with a huge smile on her face.

"Actually one time," I started, smiling before I could even start my story. It was a story when Gene was still alive and the two brothers are always bickering with each other. "Naru convinced me to prank Gene."

"For real?" Mai laughed. Her laughter sounded like a bell to my ears.

"Yes. It was actually a revenge for Gene since he always pranks Naru." I chuckled a bit and continued, "Gene is quite very childish so he would randomly prank Naru."

We arrived at the restaurant. It feels almost the same as before, the same comforting ambiance, the mellow song, and the scrumptious smell of Chinese food. We were led towards a table and I helped Mai to her seat. She smiled and muttered thanks to me.

The waiter brought the menu. We ordered a platter of yang chow, chow mein, char siu, and some other dishes. Mai and I laughed at her poor attempt in pronouncing some of the dishes on the menu. She looked adorable as she furrows her eyebrows whenever she's having a hard time pronouncing.

We looked quite silly but I'm glad that Mai is enjoying our time together.

"Continue your story." Mai spoke after the foods were served. "About the prank."

"Well it's not really that funny," I paused, reminiscing what happened at that time. "It's actually quite cruel."

"What do you expect from Naru." Mai rolled my eyes.

I chuckled and started with the prank story. "Gene has a dog. He loves it so much that he even dressed it up with this weird shirt he bought somewhere. One day, Naru told me that he'll pull a prank on Gene so I should keep the dog in my place for the meantime. I kept the dog with me and Gene thought it was missing. He's panicking so much after three days. I actually felt guilty at that time."

I drank a bit from my cup and continued. Mai was staring at me, interest gleaming in her eyes. "So Naru offered to help Gene 'look' for it." I rolled my eyes when I said those words. "With the dog's brush, he 'used' psychometry. He told Gene that he saw the dog getting attacked on the forest at the back of their house. I thought Gene was going to cry at that time. They went to search for it and they only saw the shirt that the dog is always wearing. It was battered and bloodied."

"Oh my god." Mai exclaimed, her eyes filled with horror. "That's cruel!"

"Yeah it was." I chuckled and spoke, "Naru actually bought another shirt that looks the same as the one the dog is wearing. Two days later, Gene is still mourning, Naru gave the dog back to him. I think he actually felt guilty."

I remember at that time that Gene was too relieved to actually get angry at his brother. _Those two._

"That was a good prank but it was just too cruel." Mai sighed.

We continued eating and talking. I can't help but laugh every now and then at her stories. I never thought it would be this entertaining having my guard down. Only Mai has this kind of effect on me.

I stared at her as she cut through the meat on her plate. I didn't notice that a smile was forming on my lips until Mai cocked her head to the side and stared at me with confusion. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing." I coughed and turned my gaze back to my food. "Everything's perfect."

_Yes. Everything feels perfect._

* * *

"Thanks for dropping me off Lin." Mai smiled as I stop the car in front of her apartment.

After we finished our dinner, it was quite dark out already. I decided to offer Mai a ride since I couldn't just let her walk alone at night.

You might never know what may happen.

Well, actually that was just one of the reasons. I wanted to spend more time with her. I love the feeling of knowing that she's near me and I could just reach out and touch her.

"It's nothing." I replied, looking at her. "You should rest."

It felt like this happened a long time ago rather than just a few weeks ago. When I dropped her off after we had dinner and she took the air out of my lungs when she surprised me with a kiss on the cheek.

I couldn't possibly forget that.

Now I'm being a romantic. I'm really an idiot.

I looked at Mai. She was sitting beside me with the moon light sharpening her features. She took my breath away once more, just like before.

Now, looking at her, I realized that I couldn't live a life without Mai. I would be fine just being her friend if that would mean always being with her. I couldn't possibly forsake that.

But the other part of my mind is still hoping that what Naru said might be true.

That she actually has feelings for me.

And that hope is pushing me to just tell her my feelings and be with it. That she might actually reciprocate it.

"Mai," I breathe out. "I–"

I panicked. When she looked at me with her beautiful eyes, all the air in me left. I couldn't muster even a syllable. That was my only chance and I think I wouldn't be able to say it.

For now.

Hopefully, next time, I wouldn't be such a coward anymore.

"Yes?" Mai asked, looking confused.

"Nothing." I smiled. "I just wanted to say good night."

She chuckled softly, making me awestruck. "Good night Lin. See you tomorrow at the office."

She unbuckled her seatbelt and fixed her bag as I stare at her, punishing myself for being such a coward.

"Good bye Lin." There was something in her voice when she said it. And her eyes, was it sadness?

As she opened the passenger door, I began to panic. Should I just really leave everything like this? Should I just let Mai go and tell her my feelings next time? What if there's no next time?

With my impulse kicking in, I grasped Mai's arm. She looked at me with confusion evident in her face.

"Lin?" She closed the passenger door and looked at me and on my hand that's holding her arm.

"I," I know I wouldn't be able to speak. In all my life, these kinds of feelings are new to me.

This is the first time I fell so hard for someone.

Not trusting my voice, I decided to do something I know I wouldn't regret.

I closed our distance and placed my lips on hers.

I felt her stilled on my hold and I can't help but feel disappointed thinking that she might not return my feelings.

But all my thoughts vanished when she placed her hand on the back of my head and pulled me closer to her, the distance between our bodies as close as what the car might offer. She kissed me with fervor and I return it with the same enthusiasm.

We kissed like we've been deprived of it for our whole lives. And I guess it's true. I've wanted to kiss those lips since the first time I saw her, and now, I finally am.

I held her as closer as possible, tangling my fingers on her soft hair.

_I love her._

* * *

End of Chapter 21

Thank you for reading! :)


	23. Chapter 22 - Mai

Here's chapter 22! Hope you like it :)

Hello :) I'll be posting the last chapter over the weekend. I'll definitely miss writing this. Actually, there's supposed to be a sequel (I've already written the plot and all) but then, uni will take most of my time and I won't be able to update regularly, so I don't know if I should pursue with this plan. Anyway! Enjoy reading :)

* * *

Chapter 22 – Mai

I didn't wake up to the sound of the alarm. Not with the harsh stream of sunlight.

Actually, I wasn't able to sleep. I've been thinking about what happened last night until the sun began streaming glaring lights.

Lin actually kissed me.

And it was not a simple peck on the lips.

For the nth time, I screamed again on my pillows, muffling any sound that came out of my mouth. After my screaming fest, I rolled and lay on my back. I still couldn't believe that last night happened. What if it was just a dream?

"Lin." I touched my lips as I remembered what happened last night.

After we kissed, I began blushing, as usual, and since it was my first time kissing someone, I don't know what to do. I immediately picked my bag up and ran towards my apartment, leaving a shocked Lin.

Yes, I'm an idiot.

What if Lin misunderstood and thought that I hated the kiss? What if he thought I hated him?

Last night made me 100 percent sure about my feelings for Lin. At first during the case, those little moments we had made me think about my feelings for him. I was not sure but my heart kept beating faster when he's near and sometimes, when he touches me, it feels like my heart would jump out of my chest.

Last night proved that I have feelings for him.

And I probably ruined it.

"Argh! Mai you're such an idiot!" I sat up and crossed my legs. "Why did I run away?"

Scratching my head, I began remembering how he calmed me with just rubbing small circles on my hand. How he ruffles my hair in a spur of a moment. How hugging him felt so comfortable. How we fit so perfectly.

Sighing, I lied down and turned to my side, wiping some tears that began slipping down my cheeks. Becoming emotional early in the morning wouldn't do me any good.

And for god's sake, why am I crying?

Catching a glimpse of my clock, I immediately panicked when I saw that it's already 8 o'clock. "Shit! Naru will get angry!"

Naru especially told me to come at the office at exactly 8 o'clock since I got some sorting out to do.

Yes, it's Saturday and I have to go to work.

And yes, I'm very much late.

* * *

"SAVE!" I yelled after I entered, not so elegantly, inside the SPR office. I was quite proud of myself even though I'm an hour late.

Looking up from my embarrassing pose, with me looking like I'm about to fly, I saw Naru standing at the middle of the office looking at me with his eyebrow raised.

"Save?" He crossed his arms and looked at me expectantly. "If you being an hour late means 'save' what does you coming to the office on time mean? A damn miracle?"

I blushed, not really because I'm late since that's a usual occurrence, but because I was caught doing some stupid pose while shouting 'save'.

I probably look like a kid.

"Sorry." I mumbled, looking shamefully at my shoes.

"It's nothing new." Naru waved off, moving towards the sofas. I can't help but notice the empty teacup on the table.

"Do you want some tea?" I asked, trying to get on his better side.

"No, I just had one." My eyes widened at his reply. Naru almost never rejects tea, that's why I always call him tea-addict in my head.

"What are you stupidly looking at?" He frowned at my gawking self.

"No-nothing." I tried waving it off. I walked towards the sofa opposite to the one where Naru is currently sitting. He was going through some papers on the table.

Why didn't he just do them inside his office?

I sat silently, staring at Naru's hands as he flipped some papers. "What should I do?"

"Nothing." Naru picked up a paper and placed it on a stack of papers at the side. "Just keep quiet."

Then why did you asked me to go to the office early in the morning? _Damn this scientist. _

I nodded, even though Naru wouldn't actually see it. I began staring blankly to his hands again as I got lost in my thoughts. The one thing bugging me was:

"Where's Lin?"

Realizing that I actually vocalized it, I snapped my hands to my mouth. Naru stopped what he was doing but didn't look at me.

"He said he was going to buy some breakfast." He went back to sorting the papers in the table.

I hummed in reply and firmly shut my mouth, trying to control myself from speaking another word.

I don't know if I was relieved or not that Lin was actually not here. I don't know how I will face him after yesterday.

"Did something happen?" I was shocked when I heard Naru spoke. He was looking at me with a strange expression. "You're fidgeting."

"Huh?" I looked down on my hands and noticed that I was unconsciously fiddling with it. "Yeah. Um, it's nothing."

Naru sighed and dropped the papers he was holding. "Lin also said that earlier, but I doubt it." That got my attention. "He was very out of it."

I didn't speak, I just stared at Naru. "Actually, he looked stupid looking like a lost puppy."

And that really pierce my heart.

Did I hurt Lin? Why am I such an idiot? Why do I have to run away?

"It's probably my fault." I muttered, looking down to the mess of papers on the table.

Naru didn't reply and remained silent. Guilt was drowning me and I can't help but beat myself for what I did.

"You know," Naru started, looking straight to me. "I admit I was, am, an idiot. When you confessed three years ago, I thought, 'Another one who mistook me for Gene'. I thought that what you felt for me was just because I look like the kind and gentle Gene that most girls fell for. But,"

Naru chuckled painfully, "Lin kept telling me how much of an idiot I am for letting you go. And yes, I regretted breaking your heart because deep inside, I actually have feelings for you. It was the most painful thing I did and I wanted to beat myself for it but it's done. No use crying over spilled milk. I thought now that I came back, I could make things right. But I was wrong."

My eyes were probably as wide as saucers right now but I don't care. Naru is opening up to me right now, telling me of his feelings about me. And I can't help but let the tears fall down my cheeks.

He smiled and it was as if doing so pained him. He reached out and wiped a tear from my cheeks. "I'm not anymore the one who's making you smile. I'm not anymore the reason why you're so enthusiastic to go to the office. I can't tease you anymore and enjoy the blush that forms in your cheeks."

"It's because I'm an idiot and I let go of the only chance I had."

It hurts. My heart constricts at the thought of Naru hurting this much because of me. I know that we're both at fault but Naru is the type to keep his feeling bottled up inside him.

And I know how much it hurts letting your emotions fill you up.

"I'm sorry." I sobbed. "I didn't know."

"Of course you don't." Naru comforted me with a smile. "No one knew and actually, I had no intention of telling you."

"It's just," Naru paused, looking down to his hands. This is the first time I saw him looking so vulnerable and it pained me. He was still my friend. "I don't like seeing you so troubled. I know something happened and I don't want you to regret not doing anything about it."

"I don't want you to experience what I experienced."

I was staring wide-eyed at Naru right now. He knew that I hurt Lin and he didn't want me to regret not doing anything about it like he did.

When he broke my heart but knew that he has feelings for me.

My phone suddenly resounded inside the room. I immediately picked it up since it might be Lin messaging me.

I was right.

"What is it?" Naru asked.

"Lin." I exhaled, feeling all the air rush out from me. "He wants me to meet him."

Naru rolled his eyes and spoke, "That guy said he's only going to buy breakfast. Now he's skipping work?"

I stared at him expectantly, ready to run anytime.

Naru sighed, and spoke, "Go." He smiled the same smile I saw three years ago. The smile that made me fall for him.

I smiled back, sniffling what's left of my tears.

"Thank you."

Then I ran.

* * *

End of Chapter 22

So umm, what do you think? I'm not really good with writing romance so I don't know if this chapter or the last chapter or the next chapter will be any good. :(( *cries* hahaha

P.s You can PM me anytime and I'll gladly respond :) It's actually great meeting people with the same interest as you (like Lin x Mai omfg)

Thank you for reading!


	24. Chapter 23 - Mai

Here's the last chapter of Beginning of an Ending... hope you'll like it :) (I'm feeling quite emotional posting this chapter *cries*)

Sooo... There'll be a sequel or a MaixLin AU on December (yay!) (I'm still thinking.. what do you think?) THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! for actually reaching here and for always leaving reviews that made my day :) This is my first time finishing a story so it made me veryyy happy that there's actually a lot of people reading this (and a lot of mai and lin shippers) Thank you!

* * *

Chapter 23 – Mai

'_Lin. Lin. Lin.'_ I chanted his name over and over again as I ran towards our meeting place.

My old high school.

My heart has been beating so fast ever since I left the office. It feels like it would jump out of my chest anytime. I wanted to meet Lin and explain to him why I ran away last night.

I ran as fast as I could until I reached the cherry blossom trees outside the school. They were lined out beside the sidewalk towards the entrance. From here, I could clearly see the empty space that was once the old school building. They didn't bother building another one after they demolished it.

I started walking towards the school, feeling the rush of air as I do so. The school hasn't really changed. It's still the same with its worn out paint and quite rusted gates, but you couldn't deny the lively atmosphere that surround it. Although I don't really have a perfect attendance, I had so much fun attending this school.

_How nostalgic._

I remember my friends and I used to tell ghost stories after class. We would scare each other on a dimly lit room and laugh at ourselves for being silly.

Then one day, Kazuya Shibuya came.

My friends immediately fell for his charm, that narcissistic scientist. I smiled at how it felt like it just happened yesterday.

"Mai." I looked up and saw Lin standing beside a cherry blossom tree. His body was facing towards the empty space that used to be an old school building while his gaze was towards me.

The moment I saw him, my heart almost fell out of my chest. It may sound ridiculous but whenever I saw Lin, my heart would always skip a beat. Even when we're merely exchanging mails, it would skip a beat whenever I saw his name on my inbox. Unconsciously, my lips would form a wide smile.

Even the simplest message from him could make my day.

I smiled as I walked towards him, feeling more nervous as I take one step after another. Dread and anticipation are filling my chest as I near him, thinking about what might happen today. _What would he say? Will he talk about what happened yesterday? Will he tell me that he doesn't have any feelings for me except friendship?_

I stopped when I reached Lin. I stood beside him, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. I turned my gaze towards the empty lot and felt everything come rushing to me. _It all started here._

This place is the reason why my life became meaningful.

This is the place where I met my family. _The SPR team._

"This is where I first saw you." Lin spoke after a few moments. I turned my gaze towards him and I saw a little curve on his lips. "You poked through the building and a shelf almost crushed you. I thought at that time, 'How bothersome. Why did this girl have to come here?'" Lin chuckled a little and continued, "But I definitely ate my words because here I am, planning on confessing to the same girl I thought was bothersome."

_Eh?_

All the air rushed out from me as I heard him speak those words. I don't want to expect anything but I'm slowly letting myself be filled with joy. I don't know what to do, I wanted to squeal so much and know Lin's next words.

But he won't continue.

"Li-lin?" I asked, my voice laced with confusion. I wanted to shout at him to continue because the anticipation is killing me.

But what if he's going to confess that I'm just a friend to him?

Well there's that possibility.

"Mai." Lin spoke, catching me off guard.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, feeling myself blush as the moments pass by.

Lin turned and faced towards me, his eyes full of warmth. "I've been beating myself for this. I had so many chances but I didn't tell you because I'm such a coward. But after last night," Lin took a deep breath and continued, "I know I can't ignore this anymore. I'm in love with you Mai Taniyama."

My eyes were probably as wide as saucers and my face like a tomato. I didn't know what to do. Lin is finally confessing to me and all I could do was stare at him while I do my happy dance in my head. I can't breathe because my chest is filled with warmth and joy and it feels like I'm going to drown in it any second.

"I love the way your cheerfulness brings light to the office. I love the way you blush so much at everything. I love the way you smile and laugh as if there's no tomorrow. I even love the way you make tea and walk and even when you just stare mindlessly at the monitors." Lin paused and smiled. It was the most breathtaking smile I've ever seen. I could honestly die now and I'd have no regrets. "I love everything about you. It may not look like it but you changed me. I always thought of myself as cold and heartless but after you came, I just can't seem to pull my walls up. Slowly, I began to feel all these emotions I haven't felt before."

Right now, my tears won't just stop streaming down. I have never felt this happy before. I reached my hand out towards him and placed it on his cheek. "I love you too."

The moment those words left my mouth, it felt like a huge weight fell off from my chest. Lin held my hand that was on his cheek and placed it on his mouth, kissing my palm softly.

"Lin," I started, feeling the warmth that's coming from his lips. "I have probably loved you for a very long time but I was just too dense to actually realize it. One word from you could make my day. Sometimes, I would stare mindlessly in front of my computer and repeatedly press the refresh button. I would wait for hours until I receive your message then after that, I would squeal like a silly person and jump up and down." I blushed as I recall how stupid I was before. _Why did I even reveal those things to Lin? Honestly, me and my mouth._

"Anyway," I coughed, trying to change the topic. "I'm sorry I ran away yesterday. After we, um, kissed, I didn't know what to do." I explained as I move closer to him. My face is probably as red as tomato right now.

"It's fine. I understood." Lin chuckled and pulled me towards him, wrapping his arms around me. "As long as you're here now."

I hugged him as tightly as I could, feeling everything fall into place. The way our bodies mould like this, it's as if we are puzzles that complete each other. _Perfectly._

"Now, you can't say you hate Japanese people."

* * *

End of Beginning of an Ending

Thank youuuuu for reading this! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) Feel free to message me anytime or if you want to talk to someone crazy, just chat me up! (tumblr: impeccablyscarred) till December I guess! I love you all!


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